


Love is Energy and Energy is Everything

by Cinnamonrollgirl7



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bucky and Loki become friends, Constructive Criticism Welcome, Domestic Avengers, Domestic Fluff, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Infinity Gems, Loki Needs a Hug, Original Character(s), POV Female Character, Pining, Self-Hatred, Slow Burn, Sokovia Accords, The Tesseract (Marvel), US government is hella rude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-09
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2018-08-30 02:20:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 23,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8514946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinnamonrollgirl7/pseuds/Cinnamonrollgirl7
Summary: Much like the Maximoff twins, AS-5932 was created in a lab using an Infinity Gem. She was gifted with the power to control energy. When she sees that the Avengers are in danger, she escapes to help. Once on the battle field, she meets a a tall, mysterious man and the two are drawn to each other right away. But can the two ever have a happy ending, considering who they are, what they've done, and what they were meant to do?





	1. Who are you?

**Author's Note:**

> Oh gosh its been forever since I've posted! sorry about that! I had a pretty big surgery and the recovery was harder than I expected. It'll be hard to post every day so it may take a couple days between posts. I hope you all like this! please leave a comment; it would mean the world to me! Thanks!

I watched the television screen in horror. Thanos, the being who I had heard whispers about, was here. He was on Earth. The Avengers had gathered along with many allies, but it wasn’t enough. I knew they needed more help. 

I glanced at the door of my cell. I knew I could do it. I’d being building my energy store for months now. Taking a deep breath, I stepped towards the thick metal door. 

It was fire proof, as was everything else in the cell. The scientists who created me didn’t seem to understand the true nature of my powers; but I did. I pressed my hand flat against the door. Focusing my energy to my upper body, I gave myself a boost of strength and sent the door flying off its hinges and into the wall on the opposite side of the hall. Sirens began blaring right away. 

Focusing my energy to my legs, I took off running. I had always guessed I’d be able to run fast, but I didn’t know I’d be able to go so fast. Everyone I ran past was moving at a snail’s pass. They inched along as they headed towards your cell. 

I went into the lab first, grabbing a tight, red colored flame retardant suit. I didn’t want to accidently over heat and burn my clothes off; it was still hard to control my powers. 

I watched sparks dance down my fingers as I zipped the suit up. I let the sparks spiral around my fingertips before pressing them to the files littering the lab table. They ignited in a resounding whoosh. 

They didn’t need to try and make another one of me. 

Without further ado, I took off running again into the city, where I knew the fighting was taking place.   
\----------  
*Steve*

Steve caught Natasha as she flew through the air at him. 

“Are you okay?” he asked in concern. 

She brushed a stray, red lock of hair from her face. “These guys really know how to pack a punch.”

The city was crawling with alien creatures that Thanos had brought with him as his army. Steve threw his shield, which bounced of the closets one and sent it sprawling. But as one went down, another took its place. Steve’s stomach turned “Just like a Hydra.” He shook of the creeping feeling going down his spine. HYDRA was gone and he knew he needed to accept that. 

“How many people do we have again?” Natasha asked, pulling her gun and firing into the crowd of aliens. 

“I have no idea. A lot of different people have come to fight. I’m just keeping track of our team and letting the others take care of ourselves.”

Natasha blew the head of an approaching attacker. “Good plan. But I think we need more help. We can’t fight all of these guys and Thanos. It’s impossible!”

A gust of wind blew past and a group of aliens lay dead on the ground. Their bodies were covered in burns and their bones broken at odd angles. A scrawny girl stood next to the pile, breathing heavily. Her black hair was incredibly short; it was about the length of Steve’s. It stuck out at odd angles. The girl’s skin was a light green color. Her eyes were wide but not with fear. Steve thought he saw excitement in their depths. 

Squaring his shoulders, Steve spoke in a commanding voice. “Who are you?”

“You’re Captain America!” she said in a high, excited voice.

“I didn’t ask who I was. I want to know who you are.”

“Oh sorry,” she said, her cheeks turning greener, almost as if she was blushing. “I’m AS-5932.”

Natasha gave her a confused look. “That’s not a name.”

“It’s the only one I have,” the girl said, shrugging. Suddenly, her brow furrowed. “Duck!”

Steve grabbed Natasha and yanked her down, shielding her body with his own. He felt scalding heat radiating from overhead and heard and howling, crackling noise. When it stopped, he stood and looked behind him. 

Charred alien bodies littered the ground mere feet being him and Natasha. He looked back at the girl. Her hands were engulfed in dark green flames that seemed to wind up her arms. Her eyes looked wild and her shoulder were hunched in a feral way. Over all, her body language just screamed predator. 

“Are you here to help us?” Steve asked.

She gave a curt nod. 

“Then welcome to the battle. Get started.”

AS-5932 gave Steve a wicked smile. “With pleasure.”


	2. Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and AS-5932 finally meet

As soon as Captain America gave me the go ahead, I took off at a dead sprint. I saw that the aliens were coming from some sort of rip in midair. It hovered in the sky over a tall building and ships poured out. A massive space craft had just come through yawning portal.

Taking the stairs too at a time, I ran up to the top of the building. I dashed past fighting groups, taking no notice of who was who.

I was aiming for the ship.

I paused for a second and everything around me sprang back to full speed. I dodged out of the way of a man in silver armor and a red cape.

“You shouldn’t be up here, child!” He blocked a blow from an alien with a massive hammer. “Brother! Get the child out of here!”

Another man that was fighting nearby looked over. He had long black hair that flipped at the tips. The darkness of his hair contrasted greatly with his pale skin. His cheekbones were sharp and his chin sharper. The green cape he wore swirled as he bashed his spear into the chest of an alien.

“I’m a bit busy, Thor,” he sneered.

Thor threw off the alien that was attacking him. “Come on, child. I’ll get you to safety.”

I ignored the men and focused on what I wanted to do. Taking a few quick steps backwards, I stood at the edge of the roof.

“Child! Come back!” The man, Thor said. Not wanting to use up too much of my stored energy, I ran at a normal speed. At the last second, I focused my energy into my legs and leapt straight into the air. It wasn’t enough, so I had to give a blast of my green flames to give myself a boost.

I grasped the edge of the space craft and took a breath. I could tell my energy stores were starting to get low. I struggled to pull myself up on the top of the craft, pushing and kicking against the hull.

Once I was situated, I focused all my energy into my hands and pulled. I pulled all the energy out of the craft, leaving it useless. I could taste the strange energy; it was something I had never encountered before. It tasted bitter and had the same tangy taste as blood. It was enough to give me a boost of energy though.

The craft began to glide downwards towards the ground.

“Shit,” I growled. It was going to crash into the city. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

I focused my energy to my hand again, but this time I pushed. With a vicious scream, I emptied energy into the molecules of the ship and felt them break apart beneath me. The craft crumbled and fell in on itself until there was nothing left but dust that fell to the Earth harmlessly.

Unfortunately, I was falling too. I tried to slow my fall but I was too weak to even create a spark.

I heard a whirring noise and a saw a bright red piece of metal flying at me. As it got closer, I saw it was shaped like a man. The metal man grabbed a hold of me and slowed our decent before landing on the street.

“Who are you?” the metal man asked.

“AS-5932. Captain America said I could fight.”

The metal man shifted, the plates on his body clicking and clanking. “Well, be careful. I won’t always be around to catch you.” And with that, he flew away.

I moved down the street, skirting around the battling groups. As I slipped into an alley and slinked backwards, keeping my eyes on the entrance. Suddenly, my back hit something large and sold. I spun around, my fist up and ready to strike.

A man’s hand wrapped around my wrist in a firm grip. I felt his energy and it was far different from anything I had ever experienced. I couldn’t taste it like I normally can. Instead, I smelled it; it spelt of fresh rain.

My arm stopped its attack immediately, causing a jolt to go up my arm and an ache to settle in my shoulder. I paused to take in the alley’s other inhabitant.

It was the dark-haired man from the roof. A weeping gash shown red on his forehead. The blood was speared back into his hair and down across his hollowed cheeks. Now that my face was mere inches from his, I saw that he had crystal green eyes that seemed nearly clear. As the light shifted with the explosions coming from all around, his eyes seemed to change color. I found myself growing jealous.

“ _Why wasn’t I made with cool eyes? Mine are so dull._ ”

\----------

*Loki*

“Who does he think I am; his errand boy?” Loki grumbled as he stalked through the street

. As soon as the large space craft had crumbled away beneath the small girl, Thor had gone into a panic and insisted Loki go check on the child.

“The child could be hurt, brother! And you know more about healing than I do!” the blond god had said.

It took Loki a while to locate the girl, but through the smoke, he saw her stumbling towards him. He picked up his pace only to realize she wasn’t heading to him, but to an alley. Loki got there first and dashed in to wait for her.

She moved with a cat-like grace as she crept down the alley, keeping her eyes on the entrance. Loki assumed she was waiting to see if anyone saw her.

“ _She doesn’t know I’m here,_ ” Loki realized, a smirk playing across his lips. He decided to wait to see how long it would take for her to notice; he was the God of Mischief, after all.

The girl backed straight up into him. She spun around, much slower than she had been moving earlier, with her fist up and aimed at his face. Loki caught her wrist and held fast, preparing for another strike. But it never came.

She was looking at him with fearful grey eyes; something Loki was used to seeing. Slowly, the frightened look gave way to one of curiosity; this was something Loki wasn’t used to. It was then that he noticed how small she was compared to him. While they both had bodies that looked thin and hungry, she was much shorter. The top of her head barely reached his collarbones. He looked into her eyes, hoping to see a clue into what her next action might be.

“ _Her eyes are nearly silver. I wish I had eyes like that; they are far more interesting than my own,_ ” Loki thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment and tell me what you think!


	3. I Need Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, sorry! Violence is in this chapter. Just wanted to warn you all!

“What are you doing?” I spat out, having finally found my voice.

The man let go of my wrist with a forceful shove. “I was coming to make sure you weren’t hurt. But I see that you are perfectly fine so I will be on my way.” He pushed past me and began to head towards the entrance of the alley.

“Wait!” I said in a desperate voice. “I need energy.”

The man turned around and looked at me in confusion. “Energy?”

“Kinetic, electric, solar, heat, anything really.”

He continued to look at me with an odd look on his face. “Why?”

“That’s my power. I can take in energy and use it. I can make fire, shoot energy bolts, make myself stronger or faster; I can even heal! But I used up nearly everything I had stored. I can’t fight unless I have energy.”

The man looked at me pensively. The golden spear I saw him with earlier materialized in his hands. “What’s your name, child?”

I wrinkled my nose at him. “I’m not a child. I’m only a little younger than Captain America himself!”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” he said in a soft, velvety voice.

“My name is AS-5932.”

He didn’t even blink at my name. “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you AS-5932. I am Loki of Asgard. Now hold still. I don’t want to miss.” The tip of the spear glowed momentarily and a golden bolt shot out at me.

Using the last of my stored energy, I moved as fast as I could and caught the bolt. I felt the energy sink into me through my hands. Whatever the energy was made out of, it was strong; maybe even stronger than the alien energy I had stolen earlier. But it tasted different. It had a warm taste, like brown sugar or vanilla. It filled me up and for a moment, I was scared it was too much. The energy settled into every inch of my being and gave me a feeling of safety. I felt sparks playing across the backs of my hands and making their way down to my fingertips.

I gave the man, Loki, a toothy smile. “Thank you.”

\----------

*Loki*

She seemed to glow as she grinned at him. Green sparks danced around her hands as her fingers twitched.

“Thank you,” she said. Her voice sounded thick, almost like there was more than one person talking. She dashed past him out into the street.

Standing in the entrance of the alley, he watched as she shot green flames from her hands into the masses of aliens. The first few fell back, writhing in the flames but there were other beings ready to take their place. An alien slipped past her flames and got too close for Loki’s liking. He spun his staff around, ready to fire on the alien. He stopped when he saw that the girl had grasped the creature’s throat.

Lifting the it off the ground, she gave off a shimmering glow. The alien began to howl in pain. Its hands scrabbled at her’s desperately but soon went limp. When she dropped him, his throat was scorched black. The girl was a blur as she ran off down the street.

“Are you just going to stand there?” Tony Stark yelled as he flew past Loki. He glowered at the mortal.

“ _I shouldn’t have to deal with these people,_ ” he thought. Deep down, Loki knew that the man was right.

With a snarl, Loki ran into battle, ready to take on some of the aliens that were attacking the city his brother had come to love. The aliens kept coming and by the time Loki made it to the other end of the street, he was covered in blood. He leaned back against a wall to take a breath. Panting, he wiped the splatters of alien blood from his eyes. While his hand was wiping across his brow and his eyes were closed, he sensed a presence in front of him. Loki’s eyes flew open but it was too late. The alien was upon him and its knife was in Loki’s stomach. The creature snarled as it drew the knife out. Loki shook as he slid down the wall. He was starting to feel cold even though the sun was shining brightly down on him. He pressed his hand into his gut in hopes of stopping the bleeding.

He was going to die alone just like he always thought he would. Left to die alone as a child and left to die now; how fitting.

Loki’s vision started blur as the blood pulsed through his fingers and to the ground. A figured stepped between him and the sun, casting a shadow on his dying body. Loki put his hand out, reaching for the only person he knew would care if he died.

“Thor…” Loki croaked before his hand fell to his side and he lost consciousness.


	4. No, You Can't Shoot Her!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AS-5932 gets to meet some more of the Avengers

              Barring my teeth, I threw the alien to the ground. Turning to face my next attacker, I saw an alien stab a knife into Loki. My breath caught in my throat.

              I watched as Loki slowly slid to the ground, his body shaking as he went into shock. His hand eventually found the wound and began putting pressure on it. Loki was too weak to press hard enough though. The blood ran in rivers between his long, thin fingers.

            " _I can save him,_ ” I thought.

            Moving as though I was in a dream, I walked to stand by his feet. My shadow fell across him as he squinted up at me with bleary eyes.

            “Thor…” he said in a weak voice. Loki’s eyes slid closed.

            “Oh no. You can’t die now. The world needs you,” I growled. I placed my hands over his wound and focused all of my energy into him. I increased the growth rate of his cells, causing his flesh to start to stitch itself back together and the blood to replenish itself. The wound in his gut and the cuts littering his pale skin all began to close. As I poured all of my energy into him, he began to wake up.

            “What are you doing? Where is my brother?” he asked in a demanding voice.

            I answered him through gritted teeth. “Your brother isn’t here. Stop moving, I’m healing you.”

            Loki studied me with his pale green eyes. “You’re going to use up all of your energy. You won’t have enough left to fight.”

            “I know. But they need you more; you’re a warrior and I’m not.” My hands began to shake from the exertion.

            He began to look concerned. “You need to stop. You’ll have nothing left.”

            “I’ll leave enough for my body systems to run. Just be sure to find me when this is over,” I said, giving him a weak smile.

            “No. Keep your energy. You need to be able to protect yourself.” Loki tried to push my hands away. But just as he did that, I poured the last of what I could give into him. My eyelids closed and I collapsed in a heap next to him. Everything was black and everything was silent.

            Everything was peaceful.

            And then suddenly, everything was loud and bright.

            “No you cannot shoot that damn spear at her! Thor, get him out of here!” I heard a man yell.

            “She needs energy! Listen to me!” Loki howled. I could hear scuffling and something shatter.

            With a groan, I pushed myself onto my elbows and opened my eyes. The large blond man from the roof was holding onto Loki and trying to pull him from the room. Two men stood on either side of the bed I was on. One had dark spikey hair and well-groomed facial hair. The other had messy hair and glasses perched on his nose before tired looking eyes. It looked like all the men had cleaned themselves up and changed their clothes because there was no dirt or blood visible on them. The room was filled with what looked like science equipment.

            Fear gripped me. “ _They’re going to experiment on me! Just like the scientists did!_ ”

            “Wow! Take it easy there. Just lay back down,” the man with messy hair said. He placed a hand on my shoulder and tried to help me back down. His energy tasted both sour and sweet, like a candy. I shook him off and struggled to get out of the bed.

            “Loki, please don’t let them do it. Please, I don’t want to be experimented on again.”

            “No one is experimenting on you,” the messy haired man said in a soft, kind voice.

            Loki made his way to the bed, pushing the well-groomed man out of the way. “They are trying to heal you, not hurt you. How did you wake up? You were completely drained.”

            “Was I in the sun?”

            “Yes.”

            I gave a little smile. “Solar energy.”

            “So am I to understand that The God of Mischief, who has been known to lie, was telling the truth? You actually control energy?” the well-groomed man asked in a loud voice.

            “I tell the truth more than you think,” Loki growled. “None of you ever believe me.”

            Ignoring Loki, I answered the man. “Yes, I control energy. Now could you please use that defibrillator over there on me?” I pointed at the wall were a case hung. A defibrillator sat inside. It was housed in a red bag that had the word “Emergency” written across it.

            Loki went over and got it out of the case. He tried to hand it to the well-groomed man, but he wouldn’t take it.

            “She needs energy. Give it to her,” Loki said in a threatening voice.

            “Who do you think you are, Loki? You have no authority here.”

            I furrowed my brow in anger. “And who exactly are you? You don’t look like a doctor so why the hell are you here?”

            The messy haired man stepped around the bed and took the defibrillator from Loki and began setting it up. He worked quietly, ignoring the tension in the room.

            The well-groomed man ignored the others. “Who am I? I’m Tony Stark, kid. You know, Iron Man? I saved your damn life today.”

I looked at him, confused.

“What have you been living under a rock?” Tony said.

            The messy haired man looked up for a moment. “And I’m Bruce, by the way.”

            “Nice to meet you, Bruce. And yes, Tony, I essentially have been,” I said. “I was created in an underground lab here in New York and that’s where I’ve been my whole life. Until today.”

            Tony’s face softened. “You escaped today, didn’t you?”

 

\----------

*Tony*

            “Yes, I did. I had to. I wanted to help,” the girl said. She played with the hem of the blanket that was draped across her lap. “They didn’t know how strong I was or what I was capable of. I had been training in secret; I’d fry all the cameras in my cell and practice until the scientists came and replaced them. They just thought I was playing pranks because I was bored. I did that a lot when I was younger,” she chuckled. As the laugh died away, her face grew stony. “I broke out of my cell, took this suit, and burned all their files. I didn’t want them to be able to create someone else like me. There shouldn’t even be me.”

            “Were you the only one?” Tony asked.

            “Yes. They didn’t have the most important part of the creation process; the Tesseract. I was scared that they’d find another power source so I just burned all their work. It’ll put them back around 90 years.”

“Hold on, how old are you?” Bruce asked.

“82 years old.”

Tony looked at her incredulously. “You were born in 1934?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “Did you not just hear me say I was created? I was a science experiment. The scientists grew my body but it wasn’t alive. It was just a lifeless, green body. Then they paid some people to steal the Tesseract and leave a replica. They used it to bring me to life and then sent it back. No one ever even knew it was gone.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but I have the defibrillator set up,” Bruce said, holding the paddles awkwardly in his hands.

“Lovely, thank you. Put it on the highest setting and then press it to the palms of my hands.”

Bruce looked at Tony in shock. Tony shrugged his shoulders. He wasn’t really paying attention to what was going on; he was trying to process everything.

“ _Great, now we have three geezers in young bodies,_ ” he thought. “ _And two gods who have been alive since there were Vikings._ ”

The girl waited patiently as the paddles charged up. She held her hands out, palm side up. Loki hovered at her shoulder, protectively.

“ _What’s going on there?_ ” Tony wondered. He glanced over at Thor, who had been standing silently in the doorway. Tony raised his eyebrows and gave a subtle nod of his head in the direction of Loki and the girl.

Thor just looked at Tony in confusion.

“ _Oblivious as always._ ”

“Alright, are you ready?” Bruce asked.

The girl nodded. “Hit me with it.”

Loki took a step backwards just as Bruce pressed the paddles down into the girl’s hands.

Her body didn’t jerk and she didn’t writhe in pain. She didn’t scream or cry. It looked like nothing had happened at all. The defibrillator beeped and Bruce took the paddles away.

Little sparks played across the palms of her hands. She gave a big grin as she watched them move. Suddenly, the sparks moved to the centers of her hands and joined together until they were giant, sparking balls of light. The girl pressed her hands together and when she took them apart, green flames shrouded her hands.

“I’m feeling much better. Thank you, Bruce,” she said, turning her steel colored eye towards him.

“Well, since you’re feeling better, I’ll call one of the girls and have them come get you. They can find some clothes for you and somewhere to sleep,” Tony said, in shock from what he’d just seen. “Thor, Bruce, I have to talk to you guys.”

“I can help her,” Loki said indignantly. “I have been living here for a while now, ever since I was forced to stay with Thor.”

“Someone had to keep an eye on you,” Thor said, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Let him show the girl around and get her settled. Maybe if he has something to do he won’t be so restless.”

Loki glared at Tony one last time before helping the girl down from the bed. Once they were out of ear shot, Tony looked at Bruce.

“Holy shit.”

“I know,” Bruce said.


	5. That's An Odd Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She finally gets a name!

          “That explains the green skin,” Tony said excitedly.

          “Chlorophyll! Amazing! But how does she absorb electricity the way she does?” Bruce mused.

          Tony started pacing. “The Tesseract was used to make those energy cannons for HYDRA. Stands to reason that it would be able to give this girl the power to absorb and use energy.”

          “And they used it to give her life. I didn’t know it could do that.”

          Thor stepped in. “Not much is known about the Tesseract.”

          “Speaking of not knowing, why is your brother so protective of this kid?”  Tony asked.

          “She saved his life. I’m guessing he feels indebted to her. Its traditional in our culture to repay someone if they save your life.”

          Bruce gave Tony a curious look. “So what is the girl’s name?”

          “She said she’s AS-5932,” Tony said.

          Thor shook his head. “That’s a horrible name.”

\---------

*AS-5932*

         “AS-5932. That’s an odd name,” Loki drawled in a casual voice.

         I shrugged. “It’s the only one I was ever given.”

         “It won’t work.”

          I glared up at him as he gave a mischievous smile. “What do you mean it won’t work?”

          “You need a real name.” He rubbed his hand along his chin, his eyes cast to the ceiling in thought. “AS… I’ve got it! Astrid! How do you like that?”

          “Astrid,” I said, testing the name out. “Astrid… I like it. Alright, my name is Astrid then.” I smiled at Loki and noticed his eyes softening. “Thanks.”

           “Let’s get you something clean to wear and then I’ll show you around a bit,” Loki said, gesturing towards an elevator. I stepped in and he followed.

           “So do you guys just keep a stash of clothes for if strays like me end up on the doorstep?”

           Loki chuckled. “Yes, actually. It comes in handy.”

          The elevator stopped and Loki led the way down the hall. He stopped at a door.

          “Here we are.”

          I opened the door and was amazed. There were clothes of every color and cut just hanging from the multitude of rails. I walked down the rows, running my hand across the clothes, feeling their textures. I stopped on a black tank top. I looked back at Loki in excitement.

          “This is so soft!” I cried, pulling it off the hanger.

          Loki stepped up behind me and reached an arm around to touch the cloth. “Yes, it is. It looks like it might fit you.”

          “Does that mean I can wear it?” I asked.

          “Of course.”

          I held the shirt tightly to my chest and turned to look up at Loki. “Thank you! Now I think I’ll need some pants too.”

          “This way,” Loki said. He led me further down the row and pulled a pair of deep yellow pants from the rack. “I think these could fit you.”

          I looked at the pants questioningly. “They’re yellow.”

          “They’re gold,” Loki corrected.

          “Fine,” I said, “I’ll wear them. Where can I change?”

           Loki’s cheeks tinted red. “I’ll just… turn around. You can change here.” He turned his back and waited.

          Once I finished changing, I tapped his shoulder, causing him to jump.

          “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Aren’t you going to show me the rest of this place?”

          He smiled. “Yes, I was. Follow me.”

          We got back on the elevator and went up a floor. When we exited, we stepped out into a living room area. There were some people gathered, all nursing their wounds. I noticed the women with red hair from earlier and realized her hair was far longer than mine. Self-consciously, I tugged at the short strands of my hair. I had stopped the growth to it a long time ago so as to conserve energy. I allowed some of my energy to flow to my scalp and sped up my hair growth. Black hair streamed down on either side of my face in messy waves down past my ribs. Loki looked at me in surprise.

          “I want to fit in,” I said in a hushed voice.

          “You’d fit in no matter what,” he whispered. Then, Loki stepped forward and clapped his hands. Everyone looked up at him with disdain. “Hello fellow associates. This is Astrid. I have the great pleasure of showing her around.”

          “Astrid?” a deep voice asked. Captain America walked into the room. “I thought you had a name with numbers in it.”

          “He gave me my name, sir,” I said in a quavering voice. It was still hard to believe that I was meeting him in person.

         “You don’t need to call me sir, Astrid.” Captain America stepped forward and put his hand out. “I’m Steve.”

          I took his hand and was surprised to find that his energy tasted of crisp fall apples.

         “I know. The scientists made me study you. It’s really an honor to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand excitedly.

          Captain America – “ _Steve,_ ” I corrected myself. “ _It’s Steve._ ” – gave Loki a questioning look.

          “She was created in a lab,” Loki explained to the perplexed man before us.

          “They were aiming to make someone like you but that didn’t exactly happen,” I laughed. “I have your regenerative abilities but only because of the way I store and use energy.”

           “Well, it was lovely seeing you all. I’m going to continue to show her around now. Goodbye,” Loki said, taking my arm and leading me away.

           “Slow down there, Loki. Don’t steal her away just yet,” the woman with fiery red hair said. I recognized her from earlier; she was standing with Steve when I arrived to the battle. “So Astrid, I seem to remember you having short hair earlier.”

            I tugged at the end of my hair. “I saw that you had long hair. I wanted to fit in.”

            She reached out and lifted a strand. I felt Loki shift a little closer to me, nearly hovering over me. “This is quite a mane of hair you have here,” she said. “You have to let me style it later.”

          I smiled at her. “I’d love that. I don’t think I know your name.”

          “It’s Natasha. Nice to meet you, Astrid. So how did you even know where the fight was?”

          “The scientists would turn on the news if Steve was fighting. They told me he was following the government’s orders because he was grateful to them for creating him. The TV had no sound so I believed them for the longest time. The scientists said I needed to be more like him.”

          Steve snorted. “That’s a loud of crap.”

          I smiled at him. “I figured that out pretty quickly. I’m smarter than they thought I was.”

          “Loki, before you show her around, maybe you should let her get clean too. Why the hell did you give her clean clothes but no shower?” Natasha said gruffly.

            Loki blushed. “I didn’t think about it.”

           “Yes, because you are about as thick headed as Thor,” Natasha said before stepping past us to the elevator.

           “Come on, you can use my shower,” Loki said.


	6. Discourse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter! Sorry! I will post another chapter tomorrow!

         Loki led me from the living room and took me down the hall to his room. His bedroom was small but it felt even more cramped because of all the books. Stacks of books were on ever available surface. There were even a few stacks on the floor next to his bed. Everything smelled like his energy. It seemed like he spent most of his time here. I wondered if the books soaked in his energy and were giving off his scent. There was also a hint of spice in the air; I assumed that was just the room and not his energy.

         Loki pointed at a door. “That’s the bathroom. Thor and I share it since his room is connected to it as well. I suggest locking both doors; Thor is known to walk in without knocking.” Loki went over to his closet and pulled out a fluffy towel. “Don’t worry,” he said, “It’s clean.”

         I stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I tossed the towel onto the sink and started to fiddle with the faucet, trying to turn the water on. After a few minutes, I yelled, “Loki! I need help!”

         He came skidding into the bathroom, his hair in disarray and panting. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

         “I don’t know how to turn the water on,” I said, feeling embarrassed.

          Loki glared at me. “I thought you were hurt.” He reached past me and started to played with the knob for a second.  “And you have to push it in and then turn.” With that, he stopped out of the bathroom.

         “Thank you!” I called after him before shutting and locking the door like Loki instructed. I quickly stripped out of the clothes I was wearing and stepped into the water. I gave a startled shriek.

         I heard a thud in Loki’s room and the handle of the door jiggling. Loki started to bang on the door. “Astrid! Open the door!”

         “The water is warm! I didn’t know showers did that!” I called back, laughing. I ran my hands through my hair letting the water soak into it.

          The banging on the door stopped. “Take as long as you want,” Loki said in a clipped voice.

          As his footsteps quieted, I noticed that there were a couple different bottles on the shelf in the shower. I opened one of them and sniffed at it. It had a musky scent that made me wrinkle my nose.

          “ _Definitely not for me,_ ” I thought.

           I picked up another bottle but noticed that it had the same label as the first. I promptly put it back and reached for another bottle. When I smelled the contents of the new bottle, I realized that it had to be Loki’s. It smelled just like the spice I smelled in his bedroom. I read the bottle’s label and saw that it was shampoo. I figured he wouldn’t mind if I used some.

\----------

*Loki*

         “Loki! I need help!” Astrid cried from within his bathroom.

          Loki leapt off his bed and bolted into the bathroom. Astrid stood there, looking a darker shade of green in the face.

          “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” he asked, panting slightly.

           Astrid turned even greener. “I don’t know how to turn the water on,” she mumbled.

          “ _Is she blushing?_ ” Loki wondered. He scowled at her. “I thought you were hurt.” Loki reached into the shower and turned the water on. “And you have to push it in and then turn.”

          As he stalked out of the bathroom, he heard Astrid yell a thanks after him. He went over to one of the stacks of books and began looking for something to read. Loki was holding a particularly large book when he heard Astrid scream.

          He dropped the book and stumbled across the room to the bathroom door. He reached for the handle, but it wouldn’t turn. Cursing, he started to beat his fist against the door. “Astrid! Open the door!”

          Astrid ignored him and just yelled back from within the bathroom. “The water is warm! I didn’t know showers did that!”

          That’s when it hit him; Astrid was probably never allowed the simple pleasures of life. His breath caught and he paused before answering.

          “Take as long as you want,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. Loki walked back across the room and picked up the book he had dropped. Settling onto his bed, he flipped to the first page, but didn’t read.

          He couldn’t stop thinking about Astrid. She had been so excited about the soft clothes and now she was excited about warm water. Loki was left wondering how poorly she was treated by those who had created her.

          He was reminded of his own childhood.

          Loki hadn’t been abused like Astrid had, he knew that. But he knew she must be feeling confused and overwhelmed. She must feel like an outsider, like he had all his life.

          Suddenly, he was assaulted by memories from when he worked under Thanos. He was reminded of the pain and cruelty he endured. He gripped the book tighter, his eyes squeezing shut. The memories ran through his head like a movie. Loki saw his battle in New York, his imprisonment on Asgard, the moment he found out his mother had died; it was all too much.

          He felt a hot hand touch his own. “Loki? Are you okay?”

          Loki opened his eyes and looked up at Astrid. He hadn’t heard her come in. Her clothes stuck to her still wet skin and her hair was plastered to her head. Her face was flushed.Loki assumed it was from the heat of the shower. A concerned look flitted across her young face making Loki feel guilty; he didn’t want to worry her.

          He glanced down at her hand on his and noticed that his knuckles were turning white. Loki slackened his grip. “I’m fine, Astrid.”

          “You look upset. Do you want to talk about it? I’m a good listener –“

          “It is known of your concern, girl!” Loki snapped, cutting her off.

          She looked taken aback and pulled her hand away from his. He could feel the loss of her touch and heat; he missed it right away.

          Astrid sniffed and raised her towel to her head to squeeze some more of the excess water from her thick hair. “Fine. Sorry I asked.”

           Loki set his book to the side. “Astrid, wait. I’m sorry.”

          “No, it’s fine,” she said in a high strained voice. “I’m going to go find Natasha.”

          She stalked out of the room, her body stiff. Loki scrambled off his bed, setting the book down, and made to follow her but as soon as he stepped through the door, he ran smack into Thor.

          “Brother! What is wrong with your friend? Has something happened?”

          “Not now, Thor,” Loki snarled. He tried to skirt around his brother but Thor stopped him.

          “Loki, what did you do?”

          “ _Why do you always assume I did something?_ ” Loki thought, angrily. He considered voicing his thought, but he was too tired to fight with Thor. Loki’s shoulders fell. “I was having another flashback. She brought me out of it and tried to ask me what was wrong but I got angry with her.”

          Thor shrugged. “You don’t much enjoy friendship. It isn’t a great loss. Come, let us get something to eat. We must keep our strength up.”

          Loki gave Thor a tired look. “Yes, you’re right.”

          Everyone always thought he didn’t want friends or that he enjoyed being alone. What they didn’t realize is that he had just grown accustomed to a life without companions; he had been lonely all his life.


	7. Let's Eat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some fluff/filler, sorry! Going to get to some good stuff soon!

*Astrid*

I stalked down the hallway, tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

“ _Stupid Loki. I only wanted to help._ ”

Deep down, I knew I shouldn’t be too upset with him. I had probably stepped over the line somehow. I wasn’t used to talking to anyone. My entire life had been filled with talking to scientists. They didn’t care if I had social skills or knew how to talk about feelings. They just wanted to run tests on me and experiment.

When I entered back into the living room, I found Steve lying on the couch, his head in the lap of a man. The man was bulky, just like Steve. His hair was shaggy and brown and his jawline was sharp and square. What startled me the most about this man was the fact that he had a metal arm.

They looked up at me when I came in the room.

“Hey, Astrid. Want to come sit down?” Steve asked.

I shuffled awkwardly and twisted the towel that was still in my hands. “I was looking for Natasha.”

“She’s still getting cleaned up. She’ll be back down when she’s done.”

I nodded my head and stepped further into the room. I curled up in the plush chair next to the couch Steve was sprawled on. The man Steve was with observed me curiously.

“Steve, are you going to introduce me to your friend?” the man asked in a deep voice.

Steve blushed. “Oh, sorry. Bucky, this is Astrid. Astrid, this is Bucky.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

The man kept looking at me. “Are you okay?” he asked curiously.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You look like you’re ready to cry.”

Steve sat up and looked at me. He then turned back to Bucky. “Bucky, she looks fine.”

Bucky chuckled. “You were always horrible with the girls. You never could read them. So, Astrid, what’s gotten to you?”

I played with the corner of the towel as I looked down at my lap. “I’ve lived my entire life in an underground bunker. I’m 82 but I have no social skills. I don’t understand the outside world. It’s just really overwhelming.”

A tear slid down my cheek. I lifted the towel and whipped it away quickly.

“Hey, doll. If anyone here can understand that, it’d be Bucky and I. We’re still getting used to the modern age. We can try to help you, if you’d like,” Steve said, smiling kindly at me.

I sniffled and nodded my head. “Thank you.”

“Well, Steve can teach you about modern stuff. I can teach you social skills, because his are shit.”

Steve pushed Bucky’s shoulder lightly, causing both to laugh. I smiled at their antics, but could still feel tears in my eyes, threatening to spill over.

I heard heavy footsteps coming from the hall. Steve, Bucky, and I looked up as Thor and Loki came in. I quickly looked away. I saw Bucky glance over at me out of the corner of my eye.

Steve, ever oblivious, smiled up at the Asgardians. “Hey guys! What are you up to?”

“We’re getting something to eat,” Thor said brightly. Loki gave a noncommittal grunt.

“I could go for some food,” Steve said. He stood, stretching his arms. “Let’s all go out.”

“Alright. But you two might want to change clothes,” Bucky said, gesturing to Thor and Loki.

A glimmer surrounded the two and both of their clothes changed. Loki gave Bucky a cheeky smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“That works! Let’s go.” Steve said, taking Bucky’s hand and pulling him from the couch.

We all got into the elevator, but found that it was a tight squeeze. I was crushed between Thor and Bucky. I could smell Thor’s energy and taste Bucky’s. Thor’s energy smelled of burning ozone while Bucky’s energy tasted sweet, but it also burned the back of my throat. I was reminded of the time the scientists wanted to see how alcohol effected my abilities so they had me drink bottle after bottle of whisky. It took nearly 6 bottles before I began to be effected.

Once we got off on the bottom floor, the men began putting on shoes. I glanced down at my bare feet in frustration. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, causing me to look up.

Avoiding looking at me, Loki was holding out a pair of heavy looking black boots. I took them without saying a word and quickly put them on. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they fit me.

“ _When did he get these?_ ” I wondered.

Each of the men donned coats and hats to try and hid their identities from the public. Steve and Thor even put on sunglasses. Bucky glanced over at me and then took off his baseball cap. He jammed it firmly on my head. He then grabbed a hoodie and had me put it on.

“It’ll be too big for you but it’ll hide that green skin. Keep your head down,” he instructed before flipping the hood up. He pulled the hood of his jacket up as well so as to hide his face.

We walked in comfortable silence. Thor and Loki walked next to each other, a considerable gap between the two. Steve and Bucky on the other hand walked arm in arm. I trailed behind the men, trying to keep up with their long strides. We walked up to a door that was beneath a sign bearing only the word “Chinese.”

Once inside, we took our hats and jackets off. The restaurant was nearly empty, so we weren’t concerned with being recognized.

“Have you ever had Chinese food?” Steve asked me.

I shook my head. “The scientists didn’t feed me much. They were scared I’d gain too much energy.”

The men gave me odd looks but I ignored them. There was so much food on the buffet table, I was overwhelmed. Thor picked up a plate and handed it to me.

“Eat up,” he said, giving me a wink.

I smiled widely and began to load up my plate.


	8. Another View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to post! This is the same events from last chapter but from Bucky's view. The next chapter will have action so don't worry!

*Bucky*

Thumping footsteps came from down the hall. Bucky looked up and saw Thor and Loki enter into the room. Astrid looked away from the Asgardians quickly. Bucky looked at her curiously, wondering what happened between her and the god-like men.

Steve smiled at the men. “Hey guys! What are you up to?”

“We’re getting something to eat,” Thor said happily. Loki continued to glare around the room and gave a small grunt.

“I could go for some food,” Steve said. He stood and stretched, causing his shirt to ride up. Bucky smiled. Steve still hadn’t figured out what size clothes fit him. Steve dropped his arms and continued talking. “Let’s all go out.”

Bucky glanced at Thor’s and Loki’s clothes. “Alright. But you two might want to change clothes.” He gestured at their armor.

A magical shimmer engulfed the two and both of their clothes changed. Loki gave Bucky a tired, but smug smile.

“That works! Let’s go.” Steve said. He grabbed Bucky’s hand and pulled him from the couch. Bucky willingly stood.

They all got into the elevator, which ended up being a poor idea. Bucky could feel Steve pressed into his back, Loki into one of his sides, and Astrid into the other. The girl was burning hot, like a little heater. He was glad when they got off the stifling elevator. Once off, they all began putting on shoes. Bucky saw a pair of clunky black boots materialize in Loki’s hands. Keeping his eyes fixed forward, Loki thrust the boots out to Astrid. With a confused look on her face, she accepted them. She sat down on the floor and began putting them on. Loki kept looking over at her as she laced the boots up. Loki glanced up and caught Bucky watching him. Loki’s cheeks turned bright red and he turned away quickly.

“ _Oh, I get it now. Something happened between Loki and Astrid. This should get interesting,_ ” Bucky thought, a smile tugging at his lips.

Bucky pulled on his jacket and his baseball cap while the rest of the men did the same. Steve and Thor put on sunglasses, seeing as they were the ones who were most likely to be recognized. Bucky glanced over at Astrid and noticed that her skin made her stand out. He took off his baseball cap and put it on Astrid, pulling it low so as to hid her face. Bucky grabbed one of his hoodies and had her put it on.

“It’ll be too big for you but it’ll hide that green skin. Keep your head down,” he told her before pulling the hood up on the jacket. He wanted to try and cover as much of her skin as possible. He then pulled his own hood on to hide his face. He noticed Loki glaring at him. Bucky, always one to start trouble, winked at Loki. The Asgardian huffed and looked away.

To avoid drawing attention to themselves, everyone walked in silence. Bucky reached out and linked arms with Steve, pulling him close. He could hear the others walking behind him but he didn’t dare look back to make sure they were keeping up. He didn’t want his movements to catch anyone’s eye. Steve led them to what Bucky knew was his favorite All-You-Can-Eat Chinese buffet.

“ _I hope their prepared to feed all of us,_ ” Bucky thought, knowing that they were going to be eating a lot.

The buffet was nearly empty, so they weren’t concerned about be recognized. They took off their disguises and walked over to the buffet table.

“Have you ever had Chinese food?” Steve asked Astrid.

Her eyes were wide as she shook my head. “The scientists didn’t feed me much. They were scared I’d gain too much energy.”

Bucky looked at her in shock before looking at the other men, hoping he wasn’t the only one who was bothered by this information.

Steve looked upset, as did Thor. But Loki looked crushed. He quickly schooled his face into an uncaring mask. Bucky had begun to notice that the man didn’t like to show any weakness. He wondered if this was because Loki still didn’t trust the Avengers. Bucky couldn’t really blame him; none of them trusted Loki so why would he trust them?

Thor was the first to move. He picked up a plate and handed it to Astrid. “Eat up,” he said, winking at her.

Astrid gave an excited grin and began piling food on her plate.

They all loaded up multiple plates and went to a table in the back. Thor, Bucky, and Steve talked and laughed as they scarfed down their food. Loki ate quietly, not paying attention to the rest of them. Astrid, while as silent as Loki, watched the men’s interactions with interest.

“ _She’s studying us,_ ” Bucky realized.

As the night wore on, everyone had eaten roughly 5 heaping plates each. That was normal for the men, but they were surprised that tiny little Astrid was able to eat so much. As she polished off her last plate, she looked up and caught Steve looking at her with a surprised look.

“I was really hungry,” she said, turning a dark shade of green.

“You used up a lot of energy today. It’s understandable.”

“We’re going to need to get back soon. We still have to debrief,” Bucky said, standing.

Steve stood as well and pulled out his wallet. He tossed some money on to the table and gestured for everyone to start making their way to the door. Everyone put their disguises back on and made the walk back in silence.


	9. Lose Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting!!
> 
> Astrid meets Ross and things don't go well...

*Astrid*

The Avengers were gathering in a room that housed a long table surrounded by chairs. Steve had me sit next to him and on my other side was Thor. The two of us were having an arm wrestling contest. We were at a standstill; his brute strength was equal to my energized muscles. I could see Loki watching us from Thor’s other side, a small smile on his face.

Tony was the last to come in. As he walked past Thor and I, he swatted at the back of Thor’s head. “Don’t break my table again. Don’t you remember what happened last time you arm wrestled someone?”

Thor let go of my hand and sat back sheepishly.

“Okay, are we all here? Can we get started?” Tony asked. He sat and began pulling papers from a folder, not waiting for an answer. As he began talking to the Avengers, I looked at the people surrounding the table. There was Tony, Natasha, Bruce, Steve, Bucky, Thor, and Loki, but there were also faces I didn’t know. There was a man with red skin and glimmering yellow stone inlaid into his forehead and beside him was a girl with wavy brown hair and fingers bedecked in rings. There was also a man with dark skin sitting at the table. He bore a happy and reassuring smile on his face. Next to Natasha was a man with short brown hair that was styled into messy spikes. He had a tired expression on his face, but still seemed to be in a good mood as he smiled at everyone at the table.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I knew it was Steve as soon as I tasted apples.

“Tony asked you a question,” he explained in a quiet voice.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. What was the question?”

Tony gave me a tired smile. “Could you explain who you are and what happened to you in the battle. I need it for the report.”

“Report?” I asked, confused.

“After the Sokovia Accords broke down, we worked with the government to come to a better agreement. Now, we have to file case reports for everything we do. The government also comes by and checks in on us to make sure we aren’t doing anything they don’t approve of. We get to choose our missions; they get to feel like they have some sort of control. Everyone wins,” Natasha explained.

I nodded my head in understanding. I glanced around the table nervously as I explained my past and my part in that battle. The girl with brown hair nodded understandingly when I talked about being experimented on. Once I finished, the happy looking man spoke up.

“So you weren’t awake for when Thanos retreated?”

I shook my head. “What happened?”

“We killed a lot of his men and he couldn’t get ahold of the stone Vision has,” the man said, gesturing to the yellow stone on the red man’s forehead. “Thanos just up and left.”

“He’ll be back,” Loki growled.

The other man nodded. “I think so too.” He looked over at me. “Oh, and I’m Sam by the way.”

“Oh, I forgot. She doesn’t know everyone,” Steve said. “That’s Vision and next to him is Wanda.” He gestured to the red man and the girl. They both smiled kindly at me. “Then there’s Sam.” Sam gave a cheerful wave. “Clint is next to Natasha.”

“Sup?” Clint asked, nodding his head.

“And I think you’ve met everyone else,” Steve finished.

I gave a shy wave. “I’m Astrid.”

Wanda suddenly turned and looked at the door. “We have visitors.”

Some men in crisp suits stepped into the room. I felt Steve tense next to me. Everyone’s energy crackled.

“I see you’ve picked up a new recruit,” one of the men said, looking at me. He had grey hair that was pushed backed from his face in a swoop. A bushy mustache sprouted from above his lip.

“Ross, it’s great to see you,” Tony said in a sarcastic tone. “Why don’t you sit down?”

“No, Stark. I want that report now and we are taking that girl with us.”

Steve crossed his arms. “You aren’t taking her anywhere. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Ross chuckled. “I have to evaluate each one of the Avengers and you know that. The government has to know how to stop you guys if you get out of control; we have to know everyone’s weaknesses. We’re just going to run some tests on her and then we’ll bring her back, as long as she isn’t a threat.”

“You never tested us to find out our weaknesses,” Bruce growled. His voice was deep and menacing.

“I didn’t have to, Dr. Banner. I know the weaknesses of all the Avengers already. For example, yours is Ms. Romanov here.” Ross patted Natasha’s shoulder and she visibly tensed at his touch. “I know all of everyone’s pressure points except for that kid there.”

“Pray tell me, what is my weakness,” Loki snapped.

“Your guilt,” Ross said in a matter of fact voice. “And the fact that I could put a bullet between those eyes of yours. Which your brother knows, making you his weakness.”

Both Thor and Loki slouched in their seats at this man’s words. I felt my temperature rise in anger.

“ _You have to calm down. You can’t lose control here,_ ” I told myself.

“You can’t take her anywhere,” Tony said, glaring at Ross. “You can use the lab here.”

Ross waved his hand. “Fine.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at me while looking at his men. “Boys. Take her downstairs.”

I stood slowly while the two men came to my sides. They grabbed my arms and I could taste their energy. One tasted like chemicals and the other like grease.

“Come on, little freak,” one of the men said. “Just a few little experiments and we’ll be done.”

That’s when I lost control.


	10. Murderer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki doesn't like when people hurt Astrid
> 
> Oh gosh this chapter is hella short. I'll post another!

*Loki*

The men stood on either side of Astrid, gripping her arms. Loki felt himself tense in anger.

That was before he heard one of the men say, “Come on, little freak. Just a few little experiments and we’ll be done.”

“ _This isn’t going to end well,_ ” Loki thought.

Astrid’s silver eyes flashed and both the men started to scream. Their hair started to turn grey at the temples and wrinkles began to form on their skin. Smoke came off of her as holes were burned into her clothes.

The man still standing at the door pulled a gun. Before Loki could move, the man had fired at Astrid. A dart pierced her exposed shoulder, causing her to let out a shriek. The men collapsed on either side of her, their hands burned.

Astrid stumbled backwards, her balance thrown off.

Loki’s eyes widened. “ _Tranquilizer. She won’t be able to run._ ” He made to stand, but Thor grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

Astrid’s hands glowed green and she pushed at the man who had fired on her. Pure green energy flew from her hands and rammed the man back into the wall. As he slid down the wall, one of the men lying on the ground beside her pulled a syringe and stabbed it into her leg. Snarling, Astrid kicked him in the face, knocking the man out.

The man with the tranquilizer gun got back to his feet and took aim. Astrid tried to push him back again, but no energy came. Growling, she put up a wall of fire to protect herself. The man fired a dart, but it was incinerated by the green flames.

Ross pulled a gun and fired 3 darts in quick succession. Astrid gave a yelp and the flames fizzled out. She stumbled forwards and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Ross stowed the gun back in its holster. “Well, that was dramatic. She’ll fit right in with you lot.”

“If your men had been honorable and respectful, this wouldn’t have happened!” Thor bellowed. “They upset her!”

“How were they to know that she was touchy?” Ross said, keeping his voice even.

Loki snarled and sprang to his feet, throwing Thor’s hand off of him. “You son of a bitch.” Loki’s voice was low and gravely, far different than his normal, silky voice. Loki sounded dangerous.

“Sit back down, murderer,” Ross said, his voice equally as hostile.

With a howl, Loki leapt across the table at Ross, a dagger materializing in his hand. The man at the door shot multiple darts into Loki and the Asgardian was unconscious before he hit the ground.


	11. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heres another since the last was soooo short!
> 
> Astrid wakes up to find Ross next to her

*Astrid*

When I woke up, I had a pounding headache. Groaning, I reached up to touch my head. I felt cold metal brush across my brow, causing me to open my eyes. A metal cuff was looped around my wrist and a chain connected it to the bed I was lying on.

Looking around, I saw Loki lying unconscious on another bed next to me. The government were ignoring him. Instead, they were focused on me.

“I’m sorry,” I choked out, tears burning at my eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt them.”

“You took years away from my agents. How?” Ross said, gesturing to the aged men.

“Energy. I took their energy. I can control it.”

Ross nodded and wrote on a small note pad he had in his hands. “How old are you?”

I wiped at my eyes. I didn’t want them to see me cry. “82. I was created by scientists and kept locked away all my life.”

Ross laughed. “You look pretty young to be 82.”

“I have regenerative abilities because of the energy I store and use. I can make myself stronger and faster. I can heal. I can make fire. If I have enough energy, I can control my surroundings with it,” I explained. “You know, like push things or make them blow up.”

“And why aren’t you using your abilities to break out of your restraints?”

“I used most of it when your men grabbed me. I also had to heal myself from the tranquilizers.”

Ross nodded. “Okay, I think I have all the information I need.”

“So what are my weaknesses?” I asked, anger tinging my voice.

“If we loaded you with tranquilizers, we can run your energy down and contain you.” Ross glanced over at Loki. “And I think I understand the Asgardians a bit better. That will definitely be useful.”

The government men left without removing the cuff on my arm. I pulled at it but wasn’t strong enough to free myself.

“Loki,” I hissed. “Wake up!”

He didn’t stir.

Cursing, I got out of the bed and reached as far as the chain would allow me. I was able to pull the blinds up on the window, flooding the room with moonlight.

“ _That’s a start,_ ” I thought.

I noticed that the defibrillator was on a cart at the foot of Loki’s bed. I stretched and tried to snag the edge of the cart. It was just out of reach. I pulled on the chain, trying to make the bed slide towards me but it wouldn’t budge. I looked around to see if I could find anything within my reach that could help.

That’s when it hit me. “ _I just need to let the Avengers know I’m awake. Then they can help me._ ”

That’s when I spied it: the fire alarm.

*Steve*

Steve and Bucky walked into the infirmary only to find Astrid throwing things at the fire alarm. The glass had already shattered, but she still had to press the button to set the alarm off. The floor was littered with medical tools that she had pulled from the drawer in the night stand next to the bed she was chained to. The scalpel she had just thrown missed the alarm and sunk deeply into the wall.

“What the hell are you doing?” Steve asked, confused and shocked.

She looked at him in surprise. “I was trying to get your guys’ attention. Those agents left me hand cuffed to the bed and I’m too weak to break the chain.”

Bucky walked over to her, grasped the cuff around her wrist, and ripped it in half. Steve went and did the same to the cuff around Loki’s wrist. He lifted the unconscious man.

“Come on, let’s get him to bed and then we can get you a change of clothes and some food, Astrid.”

Bucky looped an arm around Astrid’s waist and she draped her arm across his broad shoulders. He helped her to the elevator and Steve followed. Once on the main floor, Steve took Loki directly to his room. Steve had to step over the piles of books Loki left everywhere to place him on his bed.

When Steve got back to the living room, he found Astrid curled up in front of the window, dozing in the moonlight. She was in a pair of fuzzy grey pajama pants and a loose tshirt. Bucky was in the adjourning kitchen cutting up some vegetables.

“What are you making?” Steve asked, coming up behind Bucky and wrapping his arms around Bucky’s waist. Steve nuzzled into the crook of Bucky’s neck.

“Stir fry. Thought Astrid would like it. How’s Loki?”

“Out cold. Poor guy looks even paler than normal. Can’t believe he tried to attack Ross. I mean, plenty of people have insulted Loki before and he didn’t attack them so why attack Ross?”

Bucky chuckled. “I love how oblivious you are.”

Steve felt confusion sweep over him. “What do you mean?”

“Loki was only using the insult as an excuse. He attacked Ross for hurting Astrid.”

Steve snorted. “That’s ridiculous. Loki doesn’t like anyone and doesn’t care who gets hurt.”

Bucky turned in Steve’s arms and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “You are all so wrong about him.”


	12. She Can Have Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki shares and he helps  
> God I'm horrible at summaries. It's a long chapter though!

*Loki*

Loki woke up confused and disoriented. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was back in his room. With a groan, he rolled out of bed and padded to the living room, where he could hear voices.

Bucky, Steve, and Astrid were sitting on the couches eating heaping plates of something that smelled a tad spicy. Glancing out the window, Loki saw that the sun had set and night had fallen upon the them.

“Hey, Loki. Are you hungry?” Bucky asked. Loki was taken aback. The metal armed man barely spoke to him. No one here really did. And no one besides Thor ever offered him food.

He eyed the food they were eating and tried to decide if he should eat it. His hungry belly won and he nodded his head.

Bucky set his plate down and stood. He gestured for Loki to follow as he made his way to the kitchen. He picked up a plate and loaded it with food and handed it to Loki.

“Thank you,” Loki said in a quiet voice.

“Loki,” Bucky said, his voice kind. “They’ll warm up to you eventually. Even Astrid will.”

Loki kept his face neutral but felt a swell of shock and embarrassment within him. “I don’t care if any of them like me.”

Bucky chuckled. “Yes you do. I used to be in the same position as you. People didn’t trust me. But I kept doing my best and eventually they broke down and started liking me. I’m sure you got into the favor of some of us for standing up for Astrid.”

“I was protecting my honor. Not that child,” Loki snarled, his cheeks burning.

“Keep telling yourself that, bud,” Bucky said, clapping Loki on the shoulder. “Grab a fork and come eat with us.”

Loki pulled open drawer after drawer in an effort to find a fork. Growing frustrated, he just made one materialize in his hand. He made his way back to the living room and perched himself on one of the chairs. He took a bit of the food and was pleasantly surprised at the taste.

“This is very good,” Loki said.

Bucky smiled. “Thanks. It’s a new recipe I just learned. Been trying to teach myself how to cook.”

Astrid had just finished her plate and leaned forward to place it on the low coffee table. She licked a drop of sauce from the corner of her mouth.

“Do you want anymore?” Steve asked, concern written all over his face. Loki felt jealousy boiling low in his gut. He didn’t like the super soldier looking at Astrid in that way.

“No, I think 4 plates is enough for me.”

“Well, it’s not for me. I’m going for my 5th,” Steve laughed, getting up and leaving the room.

“Are you feeling any better, Astrid?” Bucky asked.

She shrugged. “I can still taste those men’s energy.”

“Taste?” Loki blurted. Astrid looked at him in surprise. That’s when Loki realized that was the first time he had spoken to her since their spat.

“Yes, taste. I can taste people’s energy when I touch them. Except for yours and Thor’s. I smell it.”

“What do I taste like?” Bucky asked just as Steve walked into the room.

Steve squared his shoulders and glared around the room. “Who’s tasting my boyfriend?”

“Astrid is,” Loki said, a smirk on his face.

“Only his energy!” Astrid cried, panic edging into her voice.

“Hey, we’re just joking around, you don’t need to get upset,” Bucky told her in a soothing voice.

She visibly relaxed. “Oh, okay. Well, Bucky, you taste like whiskey. Steve tastes like apples and Loki smells like fresh rain.”

“I think I missed something here,” Steve said, sitting back down. Loki noticed that he didn’t seem to concerned by the fact he didn’t know what was going on.

“You did,” Bucky said matter of factly. “Now, I think we all need to get some sleep. It’s been such a long day. First Thanos, then Ross; I’ve faced enough villains for the day. Come on Astrid, I’ll help you find a room.”

Loki set down his now empty plate. “She can have mine.” Bucky cocked an eyebrow at Loki, causing the god to blush. “I mean, she already knows where the room is. I figured it would be easier for tonight. I’ll sleep out here on the couch.”

Astrid gave him a shy smile, causing his heart to soar. “Thanks, Loki.” She stood and waved at the gathered men. “Goodnight, everyone.”

Once she had left the room, Bucky turned on Loki, making him nervous.

“Really? Giving her your bed? Unless you want everyone to know you have a major crush on her, then you need to tone it down.”

Steve looked at Bucky in confusion. “Loki doesn’t have a crush on Astrid.”

Scoffing, Bucky looked at his boyfriend with adoring eyes. “Yes he does.”

“Loki doesn’t like anyone, not even Thor. He’s only here because Odin banished him from Asgard and Loki didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

Loki felt his heart plummet. He tried to ignore the sinking feeling, knowing that the loneliness would pass; he was used to people saying this. “ _I’m a monster,_ ” Loki told himself. “ _Monsters don’t have friends and don’t feel love. Only rage and bitterness._ ”

Bucky opened his mouth to argue with Steve, but Loki cut him off. “He’s right. I don’t like anyone. I gave Astrid my bed because that is what a gentleman does. He makes sure a lady is comfortable, even if it means he isn’t. My mother would come back from the grave and kill me if I didn’t offer up my room to Astrid.”

Bucky’s frowned, his furrowed eyebrows nearly meeting. “Fine. Be that way, tough guy. Steve, it’s time for bed.”

“I want another plate of stir fry though.”

“We are leaving. Now.” Bucky grabbed Steve’s arm and dragged him out of the room.

Loki was glad they had left. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He moved to the couch and stretched himself out. Loki had to prop his legs up on the armrest just so he could lie flat. His feet hung in the air and his head was smashed into the other armrest. Grumbling, he curled in on himself, trying to fit more comfortably on the couch. He conjured up a blanket and wrapped it around his cold body before allowing his mind to delve into his thoughts.

\---------

*Astrid*

I padded down the hall in search of Loki’s room. I couldn’t remember exactly where it was. Frustrated, I stopped and leaned against the wall. My head fell back and I looked up at the ceiling before taking a shaky breath.

“ _I escaped. I did it. I’m finally among people who will care for me._ ” The thought was overwhelming.

I heard footsteps from around the corner. A thump startled me as someone hit a wall. The footsteps didn’t come any closer.

 “You guys have to stop saying stuff like that about him!” Bucky said in an angry voice. “It’s not helping his self-esteem! He acts that way because no one is nice to him. If you treat someone like a villain, they will act like one. Everyone has feelings, even Loki. He tries so hard to prove himself, but all of you tear him down every chance you get. Give him a chance, Steve.”

“He’s killed people!”

“And I haven’t?”

Both men fell silent.

“That was different,” Steve said reproachfully.

“What about Wanda? Or Natasha? Clint? The Avengers is all about second chances yet you won’t give him one. Cut him some god damn slack.”

The conversation seemed to be over, seeing as Bucky suddenly rounded the corner, Steve following close behind. So close in fact, that he ran into Bucky’s back when Bucky stopped short at the sight of me.

“Astrid! I thought you went to bed.”

“I can’t remember which room is Loki’s,” I said in a meek voice.

Steve walked over to a door and opened it. “It’s this one, doll.”

I nodded sheepishly. “Thanks.” I dashed in before they could question me about whether I had heard their conversation.

Loki’s room still smelled the same from earlier. I found the book he had been reading lying on the nightstand beside his bed. It had been left open to the page he had been on. I picked it up and was startled to see it was open to the title page.

“ _Why had he been acting so strangely? It couldn’t have been from this book._ ”

I set it back down and crawled into the bed. The mattress was soft and the blankets thick; nothing like the bed I had in the lab. I sprawled out, enjoying how much space I had. Quickly, I forgot about all my worries and fell into a deep sleep.

The peace didn’t last long though. My dreams were plagued by nightmares. I had visions of the experiments ran on me. I relived all the times the scientists cut me apart and put me back together. I saw how they filled my veins with drugs and my nerves with electricity. I watched as they ripped all my energy away to see how little I could survive with and I watched as they filled me to my bursting point to see how much energy I could hold.

I jolted awake as the scientists lowered the gas mask on my face for another one of their tests.

I was drenched in a cold sweat and the blankets were all kicked to the end of the bed. I gulped down air, trying to catch my breath. I sat up slowly, but I still felt my head swim. Nausea overcame me and I feared I would vomit in Loki’s bed.

“ _That’s one way to thank him for the room._ ”

I got out of the bed and began to pad towards the living room so I could use the elevator. I needed energy and I knew the defibrillator was still down in the infirmary.

I tried to be quiet as I crept past the couch Loki dozed on. But I must not have been quiet enough because he bolted upright, a startled look on his face and a dagger in his hand.

“It’s just me,” I whispered. “I’m just going to the elevator.”

“Why?” he asked in a rough voice deepened by sleep. The dagger disappeared in a golden glimmer.

Closing my eyes, I grasped the edge of the couch as a wave of dizziness washed over me and I gave a low groan. “I’m sick,” I said simply.

He heard him and soon felt him at my side. “Do you have an illness? Should I get the doctor?”

I shook my head. “I need energy. I was going to get the defibrillator.”

“I’ll help you.” Loki took my arm and I could suddenly smell fresh rain. The smell of his energy calmed my stomach a little but as we got off the elevator, I got dizzy and felt myself start to collapse. Loki caught me before I could hit the ground. He lifted me into his arms and carried me over to one of the beds. He sat me down before going over to the bag with the defibrillator.

“Do you know how to work this?”

I nodded. I started it up and allowed it to charge up. “I need you to press it into my hands. When the machine beeps, it’s ready. Just press the buttons on the paddles.”

 Loki looked nervous, but when the beep sounded, he pressed the buttons and I was flooded with electricity. I breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Loki.”


	13. You have to apologize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh! I haven't posted in forever! Been busy with the holidays and family, sorry!
> 
> This chapter has a bit of fluff and a bit of humor. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Happy holidays, my friends!

*Loki*

Loki helped Astrid upstairs. He could tell she felt better, but she still looked drained and weak. She had to lean on Loki heavily. Once they got off the elevator, he scooped Astrid into his long, lean arms. She gave a tiny squeak of surprise that made him grin. He wiped it off his face before she saw.

“I’ll take you back to my room so you can get some more sleep,” Loki said kindly.

Astrid shook her head. “I don’t want to sleep. I keep having nightmares.”

Loki carried her over to the couch and sat her down. He sat on the other end. Running his hand through his long, messy hair, he nodded in understanding. He spoke without thinking. “I have nightmares a lot.”

Mentally, he kicked himself for saying that. “ _She’s going to think you’re a freak. Don’t get close and you won’t get hurt._ ”

Astrid tilted her head and gave him a curious look. “You do?”

Sighing, he nodded. “I get flashbacks while awake too.”

Astrid’s eyes grew wide. “Is that what happened before? When I got out of the shower?”

Loki nodded again.

“I’m sorry,” she said. Her voice was thick with emotion. “I got mad at you when you were upset. I’m so sorry, Loki.”

He looked at her, confused. “Why are you apologizing?”

“I shouldn’t have got upset with you.”

 “I was rude. I should be the one apologizing,” Loki stated.

Astrid shrugged. “You already said you were sorry. It’s water under the bridge.” She picked up her feet and stretched her legs out on the couch, her toes nearly reaching Loki’s thigh. He glared at her feet. Loki turned sideways and put his legs up, his knee bent. Astrid had to bend her own legs so as to accommodate Loki’s long legs.

They sat quietly, just enjoying the silence and each other’s company. Eventually, Loki spoke.

“What are your nightmares about?”

Astrid didn’t answer at first, making Loki panic. He feared that he had offended her. “You don’t have to answer,” he told her.

“No, I will. It’s just hard to put into words. I dream about what the scientists did to me. All the experiments and tests. I can see it all and feel everything they did. And it’s not like I just have one long nightmare. Its nightmare after nightmare, all in quick secession,” Astrid explained. Her voice was thick with emotion as she spoke. She looked up at Loki. “What are yours about, if I may ask?”

“It wouldn’t make sense unless I told you about my past. And if I did that, you’d hate me,” Loki said darkly. His hand balled into fists as he looked away. “I’ve done a lot of bad things, Astrid. Eventually you’ll find out about all of them. What I will tell you now is that I regret my actions and am a changed man. At least, I hope I am.”

When Astrid placed her hand on his ankle, he could feel the heat of her skin through his pants. He was amazed that even in a weakened state, her body still ran at such a high temperature.

“I believe you. You don’t need to tell me anything. If you ever want to share though, I am willing to listen.

Loki looked up at her and smiled. “Thank you."

She returned the smile. “You’re welcome.”

And with that, they fell back into silence. They looked out the large windows lining one of the walls and watched the stars. Eventually, both were sound asleep.

*Bucky*

The sun shined through a crack in the curtains, waking Bucky. He groaned and stretched, pushing against Steve beside him.

“Good morning to you too,” Steve said in a grumpy voice.

Bucky chuckled. He knew Steve hated being woken up; he’d known that since they were children. “Sorry that I woke you. But if you get up, I’ll make waffles.”

Steve sat up and rubbed at his eyes. “Alright. I could go for some waffles.”

“But,” Bucky said. “You have to apologize to Loki.”

Steve flopped back down on the bed. “Why?” he whined.

“Because you were an asshole.”

Steve huffed. “Fine.”

With a few more minutes of coaxing, Bucky finally got Steve out of bed. They walked hand in hand to the living room so Steve could apologize. Upon arriving, they stopped in their tracks.

Loki was sitting sideways on one end of the couch, his head resting against the back of the couch and his legs bent in front of him. Astrid was on the other end in the same position. Both were asleep with their legs tangled together in the middle of the couch.

Steve gawked for a minute before turning to Bucky. “Maybe you are right about Loki liking Astrid.”

“I told you he had feelings. He’s not heartless,” Bucky said, a smug grin on his face. He loved being proven right.

Steve tip toed to the sleeping duet. Gently, he tapped on Loki’s shoulder.

Loki lurched awake, kicking Astrid and waking her. The man looked around with wide eyes, like he expected an attack. Bucky understand exactly what he was feeling, which caused his heart to break a little for Loki.

“What?” Loki snarled at Steve.

“I… I just wanted to apologize for how I acted last night. I was a jerk. I’m sorry,” Steve said in a quiet voice, like he was scared to anger Loki.

Loki looked away, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. “Apology accepted.”

“Great!” Bucky said cheerily. “Who wants waffles?”

“What are waffles?” Astrid asked, yawning.

“Please tell me I didn’t just hear that,” Clint said, walking into the room. His hair looked even more ruffled than usual. He was shirtless besides his flannel pajama pants. “Waffles are the best damn thing ever, kid.”

Bucky waited for her usual quip about how she wasn’t a kid, but it never came. He glanced over at her and saw that Astrid was just staring at Clint with wide eyes. Clint seemed to be unnerved by this.

“I’m going to go get some coffee,” he said, wondering off to the kitchen.

Astrid looked between Loki, Steve, and Bucky. Her cheeks were dark green and her mouth hung open in what looked like horror.

“He wasn’t wearing a shirt,” she hissed.

Steve laughed. “Yeah, boys do that. They don’t have to wear shirts.”

“Do girls have to wear shirts?”

“Yes,” Bucky said, laughing at the conversation that was taking place.

Astrid furrowed her brows. “That’s not fair.”

“Why? Are you wanting to walk around shirtless?” Bucky asked jokingly.

“Yes.”

Loki made a choking sound. Bucky smirked, knowing full well how Steve was going to react. He was happy to see he was right; Steve looked at Astrid in terrified shock. Upon seeing Steve’s face, Astrid explained herself.

“The more of my skin that is visible, the more solar energy I can soak in.”

“I’d suggest you wear a bathing suit to go sun bathing. You wouldn’t want to cause any of the guys to lose their minds,” Bucky said gently.

Astrid crossed her arms. “They can get over it.”

Bucky laughed. “I’m going to get started on the waffles. Steve, why don’t you explain to her why she can’t run around naked.” Bucky made to leave, but paused for a moment. “Loki, do you want to help me cook?”

Loki looked startled, but gave a tentative nod anyways.

“Alright, come on then.”


	14. There is Someone at the Gate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the delay. I'm trying to stay on top of things. Life is just so crazy. Let me know what you think in the comments!

*Loki*

Loki followed Bucky into the kitchen. He didn’t know why the man had asked him to help. Loki couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that Bucky wanted to spend time with him.

“I want to teach you to cook,” Bucky told him once they were in the kitchen. Clint was sitting on the counter, watching them curiously. “It’ll be a good distraction for you.”

Loki shrugged. “I will give it a try.”

“Sure that’s a good idea?” Clint asked, drinking coffee straight out of the glass coffee pot. “Thor has no idea how to cook so I doubt Loki knows either.”

“Shut up, Barton. I’ve got this. And why are you drinking out of the coffee pot again? I told you to stop that,” Bucky snapped.

“Because I want to.” Clint drank deeply, slurping the coffee. Bucky glared. “Now I’m going to go put a shirt on before Astrid loses her shit. I’ll be back for those waffles!”

Bucky grumbled about Clint’s behavior as he pulled out all of the ingredients for the waffles and placed them on the counter. He instructed Loki on what to do, helping when it was needed. Loki made a ridiculous mess and burnt the first few, but he eventually got the hang of it and made plate after plate of the fluffy golden waffles.

“I think you’ve got the hang of this!” Bucky said cheerily. Loki gave a small smile. It wasn’t like his normal smirk; this one was warm. “I’m going to go change out of my pajamas. Keep doing what you’re doing, bud.” He clapped Loki on the back as he left.

“ _The super assassin isn’t so bad,_ ” Loki thought. He started to mix another bowl of batter when Tony came in.

“Those smell so good, Barnes! You better have made enough for everyone!” Tony stopped in his tracks when he saw Loki. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Bucky was teaching me how to cook. He just went to change his clothing.”

“I don’t like the idea of you cooking,” Tony growled.

Bucky came back into the kitchen, catching the tail end of the conversation.

“Stark, you’re awake. Want a waffle?” Bucky picked one up and pointedly took a huge bite out of it.

Loki smirked. “ _He’s proving to Stark that I can be trusted._ ”

When Bucky didn’t drop dead on the spot, Tony tentatively took a couple waffles. He snagged the bottle of syrup before leaving the kitchen without so much as a thank you.

“Why don’t you go get Astrid and Steve? I’ll finish up this batch,” Bucky said, gently taking the spoon from Loki’s hand.

Astrid and Steve were still arguing on the couch, but now with an audience. Natasha and Clint, who was now wearing a shirt but still drinking from the coffee pot, were watching the two debate whether girls have to wear shirts. Tony seemed to be egging them on, casually, throwing in a comment between bites so as to rile the two up.

“That is ridiculous! Just because a woman has breasts doesn’t mean she has to wear a shirt!” Astrid cried angrily. “Your breasts are bigger than mine but you can go shirtless!”

Natasha snorted and Clint nearly spit coffee everywhere. Steve’s face turned bright red.

“I have pecs, not breasts, Astrid.”

“You still have breast tissue,” Astrid grumbled, crossing her arms.

“While this is very entertaining, it’s time to eat,” Loki said, causing them all to jump in surprise; they hadn’t heard him come in.

Everyone filed into the kitchen and made a plate of waffles, thanking Bucky. He always corrected them though, saying Loki made them.

Astrid eyed the waffles warily. “What if I don’t like them?”

“Then I’ll make you something else. Now try it,” Bucky insisted.

Astrid took a bite. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and gave a sinful groan. Loki felt his heart skip a beat and his cheeks warm.

“These are so good! Thank you, Loki!”

He smiled. “I’m glad you like them.”

“ ** _Mr. Stark,_** ” a robotic voice said over the intercoms. “ ** _There is someone at the gate._** ”

“Who is it, FRIDAY?” Tony asked, wiping his mouth on a napkin, a stern look on his face.

“ ** _She won’t say her name. But she did say that the Avengers have taken something that belongs to her. I believe she is referring to Miss Astrid._** ”


	15. AUTHOR NOTE

Hello, friends

It will be difficult for me to post this week. We had to put my dog down last night. He got very sick in the span of hours. His heart wouldn't work properly and he became too weak. The vet said that he wouldn't have survived the operation necessary to help him.

It's a hard time for us. He was only 8 and acted like a puppy still. We loved him so much. He was incredibly smart and kind. I swear, he even had a sense of humor. Pulled pranks and did things on purpose to make us laugh.

His passing is like losing a family member. We are going to miss him so badly. I hope you can all understand and be patient with me. 

With love,  
Cinnamonrollgirl7


	16. This Is Her Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience. It means the world to me.

*Astrid*

I felt my stomach do a flip. I looked around the table, in shock. The Avengers were all either looking down at their plates or looking at Tony. The only person to look at me was Loki.

“She isn’t taking you,” he growled.

“No, she isn’t. But we have to hear her out,” Tony said. “FRIDAY, let her in. Lock all the doors. Direct her into the elevator and bring it straight to this floor.”

“Why do we have to listen to her?” I asked.

Tony finally looked at me. “We have to know what she is saying so we can put it into the reports for the government. I’m sorry. Now, everyone, hurry and get changed. I’ll talk with this woman until you all get back. FRIDAY, wake everyone else up and tell them to get in here.”

“Come on, Astrid. You can wear something of mine. I don’t want you to go to storage for clothes and run into this lady on the way,” Natasha said, standing. I followed her down the hall to her room. She pulled a loose black tshirt from one drawer and a pair of red shorts from another.

“These may be a tiny bit big but they will work for now.”

Both of us quickly changed clothes. Natasha was right; the clothes were big but I didn’t mind. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a tight shirt. Natasha reached over and ran her fingers through my hair. “Want to borrow my brush before we head out?”

I shook my head. “I just want this to be over with.”

“I understand. Come on, let’s go. Keep your chin up and don’t let her intimidate you.”

We stalked into the living room in silence. I tried to mimic Natasha’s aggressive and predatory gait, but the woman on the couch didn’t seem to be frightened. Everyone else was gathered. There was someone sitting on every available surface and those who didn’t have a seat, stood. Thor offered to stand and let me sit, but I declined. I wanted to be ready to make a quick escape. I went and stood beside Loki, who was dressed in his armor. He took a step closer to me, standing at my shoulder protectively. I felt a little safer with him at my side.

“AS-5932. So good to see you. I’ve come to take you home,” the women said. Upon hearing her voice, I knew who she was.

“Oh, I’d know that voice anywhere. You’re Dr. Corbin.” I had never been allowed to see her pinched face before. I hadn’t been allowed to see any of the scientists’ faces. She didn’t look like what I had expected. Her hair was a honeyed brown with blonde highlights. They helped to take away from her sour face.

“Yes, I am. We are leaving, AS-5932. You’re looking a little angry, you should be wearing that suit you stole. You know, the thousand-dollar flame retardant one? Go put it on before you burn through those clothes.”

“I’m not going anywhere, you bitch,” I spat. “You’ve tortured me for long enough.”

“Who even are you? And how did you find us?” Steve asked, his voice low. He glared at Dr. Corbin.

“I know more than you could ever imagine, Captain Roger. And I am apart of AS-5932’s family.”

I felt my temperature rise a few degrees and smelled smoke coming from the clothes I was wearing. “Like hell you are!” I stepped forward, my blood pumping in my ears.

Loki grabbed my arm and the smell of rain filled my senses. I relaxed a little at his touch. He pulled me back to him and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“Cool down. You don’t want to lose control. I won’t let her take you, don’t worry.”

Loki let go of my arm but I reached out and took his hand. I needed the smell of his energy to stay calm.

 He raised his eyebrow at me but I just squeezed his hand tighter in response. I couldn’t tell him in front of everyone why I needed his touch.

Dr. Corbin looked at me curiously. “Have you made a friend?”

“She has made quite a few,” Thor said in a low, gravelly voice.

“If you are trying to scare me, it won’t work,” Dr. Corbin said. “AS-5932, this is getting ridiculous. It is time to leave. Let’s go.”

“She has a name!” Loki roared. His breath came in short bursts and his high cheeks were tinged with color. “She is Astrid! And she is not yours!”

“Thank you for that information, Loki Laufeyson. But you are wrong,” Dr. Corbin said in a slightly smug voice.

Loki’s once red face turned white. “That is not my name.”

“Oh, I believe it is. I know everything about you. About all of you,” she said, addressing the group in a bitter tone. “I used to have friends in high places. Until the Avengers destroyed them.”

“Care to elaborate?” Tony asked.

“My team had connections within HYDRA, meaning we had connections in governments all across the world. When HYDRA was destroyed, we lost those connections. It didn’t matter at that point. We had what we wanted. We had AS-5932.”

“You’re HYDRA?” Bucky asked menacingly.

Dr. Corbin rolled her eyes. “No. Did you not listen? We had connections to HYDRA. We are an independent group. We’ve been around for quite a while, actually. We pass on our knowledge to the next generation and they take over our work. Our work will live on for decades to come, just as AS-5932 has.”

I saw Loki open his mouth to speak; I guessed he was about to argue with her about my name again. I spoke before he could, trying to protect him from Dr. Corbin’s wrath.

“Why did you make me?” I scrunched up my nose and screwed my eyes shut. “I’m not even human. I’m unnatural. Why would you do this to me? What did you have to gain?”

“You would be the perfect weapon. You could break into a facility and steal all their research before they even knew it. You could kill nearly anyone with your abilities. You are like a rechargeable bomb,” Dr. Corbin explained. “Now, come home with me. You can do so much good in this world, stop so much corruption.”

“This is her home, monster,” Loki said through gritted teeth.


	17. I'm A Rabbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just some fluffy fluff and maybe a little pining ;) I hope you all enjoy! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

*Astrid*

“We only allowed you in here so we could hear your side of the story. We needed it to include in our report,” Tony said. “But I think you’ve out stayed your welcome. Time for you to leave.”

Dr. Corbin stood. “This isn’t the last you will hear from me. It was good to see you, AS-5932.” She straightened her skirt. “I’ll show myself out.”

Once FRIDAY had told us she was off the premises, I collapsed into the couch and breathed a sigh of relief. “I hate that woman.”

“She seems like a bitch,” Clint said. “It’s too early to deal with this shit. I’m going back to bed.”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “We’re all tired, Clint. Just stay here. Barnes, make some popcorn. We’re having a well-deserved movie day.”

She grabbed a remote and began searching for something to watch as Bucky got up to do as she said.

“Can I help?” Loki asked tentatively.

Bucky smiled and nodded. The two trekked off to the kitchen.

“Wanda and I have plans for the day. I hope you do not mind if we step out,” Vision said, addressing the group.

“No problem! Have a good one!” Sam said, waving.

“Perfect!” Natasha crowed. “Mean Girls! And it’s just started.”

The men in the room groaned. She glared at them. “Shut up. One of you can choose the next movie. Astrid and I like this movie.”

“I’ve never seen it,” I sheepishly said.

“That is a crime against humanity! I have an idea, let’s have a make shift sleepover all day today. You missed out on a lot of experiences over the years and I think it’s time you get to have some.” Natasha paused the movie and stood, stretching. “Everyone, go put on comfy clothes. Come on, Astrid. Let’s find you something.”

Bucky poked his head out of the kitchen “Should Loki and I change too?”

“Definitely! But you still have to make the popcorn.” Natasha took my hand and dragged me from the couch to the storage room. “We have some fun pajamas around here somewhere…” she said.

I pulled a baggy one piece from a rack. It was green and when I turned it around, I saw that there was a hood. On it, was a cartoon animal face. Down the back were spikes which trailed to a tail. “What’s this?” I asked.

“That’s what I was looking for! It’s an animal onesie. They’re so fun to wear. That one is a dinosaur.”

I put it back and picked up another. It was made of soft, grey material. Long floppy ears hung from the hood and a fluffy white ball was on the back.

“That’s a rabbit,” Natasha said, picking up a different onesie. “I’m going to go with the cat.”

We each changed in to our selected pajamas and made our way back upstairs.

“I’m going to grab some stuff from my room. I’ll be right back!” Natasha said, dashing off. I shrugged my shoulders and made my way to the living room.

Tony laughed when he saw me. “What the hell are you wearing?”

“I’m a rabbit,” I said, pouting.

Natasha came into the room next, carrying a box of different hair decorations and make up. Clint burst out laughing when he saw what she was wearing.

“What the hell, Tasha! What are you, five years old?” Clint laughed.

“I’m having fun now shut up before I give you a makeover.”

He quickly shut his mouth.

Loki and Bucky came into the room carrying multiple bowls of popcorn. Bucky had changed into grey sweatpants and a tank top that revealed his metal arm. Loki was wearing loose pants made out of rough black material. His long-sleeved shirt was also black and it clung to every plane on his torso, showing off his muscles. It was not much better than being shirtless. I had to force myself to look away. I felt a flutter deep in my stomach.

“ _I’m just not used to revealing clothes. That’s all,_ ” I told myself.

Natasha pushed me towards the couch. “Make over time!”

She pulled out brush after brush and compact after compact. There was eyeshadow of every color. Pencils were littered across the cushion between us. Tubes of creams and mascara rolled off and landed on the floor as she dumped the makeup bag.

I sat quietly, opening and closing my eyes on her command. After a few minutes, she handed me a mirror. I held it up and gave a giggle.

She had used shades of grey and black around my eyes, making my normally dull eyes look steelier. My lashes flared out like butterfly wings and the black pencil she had smudged around my eyes made me feel like I looked dangerous.

“Thank you!” I squealed, hugging her. “I look so pretty!”

I beamed around the room at the guys. Tony shrugged his shoulders.

“I thought you looked fine before,” he said.

“I’m going to have to agree,” Loki stated. We all looked at him in surprise. His cheeks tinted a shade of pink. “I’m just being honest.”

Natasha stuck her tongue out at the men. “You guys are the worst. I think she looks beautiful. Astrid, sit on the floor in front of me. I want to do your hair.”

She spent about half an hour ripping a brush through my hair, trying to detangle it. Once she had finished, I felt her moving chunks of my hair around behind my head.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“You’ll see.”

After a moment, she was done. I held up the mirror again and gasped.

“You wove my hair in a rope!” I cried.

Natasha laughed. “No, I braided it.”

“Would you teach me?”

She smiled. “Sure. Boys, I need two of you with long hair so I can show Astrid how to braid.”

“I will help,” Thor said, rising from his seat, taking the half empty bowl of popcorn with him.

“Loki,” Bucky said in a sly voice. “Why don’t you let Astrid practice on you? Your hair is probably long enough.”

Loki glared at Bucky. He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.

“Please, Loki?”

He looked over at me, studying my face.

“Fine,” he grumbled.


	18. I've Had Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh I just went back to school and I can already tell this semester is going to kill me! That's what I get for taking extra classes. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, I really liked writing it. There's a bit of fluff and a bit of angst. I hope you all like it! Let me know what you think in the comments!

*Loki*

“Loki,” Bucky said, smirking. “Why don’t you let Astrid practice on you? Your hair is probably long enough.”

Loki turned his gaze on the metal armed man and glared. He opened his mouth to tell Bucky to shove it when Astrid spoke.

“Please, Loki”

He searched her face to see if she was serious or trying to mess with him. He saw only innocent honesty there. That’s when Loki resigned himself to the taunting he knew would come.

“Fine.”

He sat in front of her and waited. Suddenly, there was a leg on either side of him. He froze, realizing that he was sitting between Astrid’s legs.

“ _It’s not sexual, you cretin. Stop this nonsense._ ”

Thor sat beside him, munching on popcorn as the red headed woman brushed his hair. Loki’s brother didn’t seem to even care; he was too enthralled in the movie. Once Natasha had finished, she handed Astrid the brush.

She pulled the brush through his soft hair, her hand trailing along behind it. She ran her fingers through his hair, her nails lightly dragging across his scalp. Loki found himself closing his eyes and relaxing into her touch. It was over too soon though and he craved her touch as soon as her hands left his hair.

Loki ignored Natasha’s words as the woman explained to Astrid how to braid. He put all his focus on the feel of Astrid’s burning hot hands playing with his hair. She had to restart the braid a few times, but eventually she got the hang of it. Loki heard a deep chuckle beside him. He glanced over and saw Thor looking at him.

“I can’t remember the last time you had a braid in your hair, brother,” Thor said.

“Well, I’m sure I look better than you. Most of your hair isn’t even long enough to get into the braid,” Loki scoffed.

            Thor huffed indignantly, blowing loose strands of hair from his face. “Yes, you are probably right.” He reached back and pulled the elastic from the end of the braid. Thor’s hair unfurled from the braid, causing Natasha to whine.

            “Thor!”

            Loki felt a tug on the end of the braid in his hair as Astrid took out the elastic. Her hand slid through his hair, unweaving it.

            “Thank you for letting me braid your hair,” she said.

            Loki nodded. “It was no trouble.”

            Astrid pulled her legs back up on the couch and curled into a ball to watch the movie. Loki leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes, allowing himself to doze off.

            As soon as he was asleep, the nightmare started. It was the same nightmare every time. He was forced to stand by helplessly as people he cared about were tortured, and eventually killed, by Thanos. He saw his mother and he saw Thor. He saw Sif and the Warriors Three. He even saw Odin. There was a new face this time though; Astrid’s. Loki saw her cry and heard her screams as Thanos ran a knife through her chest. The soft snick of the blade against her bones was audible over the din of the tortured.

Loki struggled to get to them. He wanted to save them, even though he knew he couldn’t Loki wanted to hold their hands as they took their finally breath so that they knew he cared and that they weren’t alone.

He roared at Thanos in anger. While Loki hated Thanos for what he was doing, he also hated himself for letting this happen. If he hadn’t gotten close, they wouldn’t be dying.

            Hands grabbed at him, shaking his shoulders and pulling backwards. He fought against the attacker but a squeal pierced his ears, shocking him from his sleep. Loki’s green eyes flew open and met silver ones.

            “You’re okay. You’re not there, Loki. You’re here, with me,” Astrid said in a soothing voice.

            Loki took shaky breathes, trying to calm himself. Once he felt steadied, he noticed the blood trickling from her lip. He looked down at his hand and saw blood.

            “I hurt you,” he said into the silence. Everyone was watching the interaction between the two.

            “Not badly. Just a split lip.” Astrid smiled. A green spark sealed the cut. She wiped the blood off on the back of her hand. It was like the wound was never there. “Don’t worry. I’ve had worse.”


	19. I want him out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay again! Here's the next chapter. A little drama ;)  
> I'm so excited about what will be coming up in a few chapters!
> 
> Comment with opinions!

*Astrid*

Loki laid his head back on the couch and against my shin. The scent of his energy filled my senses, relaxing me.

The room was quiet as we watched the movie. I didn’t really understand what was going on and wasn’t really paying attention, but I enjoyed spending time with my new friends.

A small whimper escaped Loki’s lips. His eyes shifted back and forth beneath his lids as his hands twitched. Loki kicked his foot and turned his head, as though he was struggling. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration.

“Loki? Wake up. It’s okay.” I reached out and shook his shoulder.

Loki lashed out, striking my face. I squeaked in surprise at the attack. My lip split and blood trickled from the cut. Loki snapped awake, his eyes unfocused. He looked like a wild animal that was backed into a corner. Finally, he made eye contact with me.

“You’re okay. You’re not there, Loki. You’re here, with me,” I said, trying to relax him.

Loki’s breathing was ragged, but it soon grew steady and even. His shoulders relaxed and his expression changed from scared to worried. He looked down at his hand where a smear of my blood resided.

“I hurt you,” Loki whispered. I noticed Natasha shift next to me, ready to pounce on Loki if he moved to attack.

“Not badly. Just a split lip,” I said, smiling to prove that I was fine. I focused some energy towards the wound and felt it seal. I raised my hand and wiped the blood away. “Don’t worry. I’ve had worse.”

Tension filled the room. I knew I shouldn’t have said that.

“ _Now they all see you as broken. Good job, Astrid,_ ” I scolded myself.

Bucky was the first to move. He stood and stretched. “I’m going to order some pizza. I think we could all use something to eat.”

“Good idea,” Tony said. “You’ll have to go pick it up though. Can’t have people figuring out where we are.”

“Alright,” Bucky said. He picked up the phone and began dialing in a number. “Does anyone want to come with me?”

“I’ll come,” I piped up. I wanted to get out of there. Everyone was so tense that I could feel their energy radiating off their bodies. It was making me feel sick. “I want to see more of the city. Loki, do you want to come?”

He looked at me with wide eyes, surprised. “Um, yeah. I’ll come.”

“Astrid, you’ll need to change clothes,” Tony said.

“Why?”

“Let her wear the bunny suit, Stark. Who’s gonna care?” Bucky said. He gestured at Loki and I and said, “You two have to wear shoes though.”

I scrambled off the couch and padded off to Loki’s room to grab the boots he had given me. I was sitting on the edge of the bed lacing them up when Loki walked in. Without saying anything, he grabbed his own shoes, sat on the floor, and began putting them on. Loki finished before I did. He sat back, watching me.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice sorrowful. “Are you in pain?”

I smiled at him. “Loki, I’m fine. You don’t need to apologize. Are you alright?”

Loki nodded, not making eye contact. He stood quickly, a golden glimmer shining as his clothes changed. His pants turned into a pair of blue jeans and a black leather jacket materialized on his body.

“You really should change clothes.”

I wrinkled my nose at him. “I don’t want to.”

Loki chuckled. “Fine, be that way. Let’s go.”

Bucky, Loki, and I made our way to the garage and got in a small black car. Bucky drove and Loki took the passenger seat, claiming he need room for his long legs. I sat in the back seat and watched the city pass by with awe.

“Did you see that?!” I yelled, repeatedly poking Bucky’s shoulder.

“See what?” he asked.

I looked back out the window. “A boy and a girl. They were kissing in public! Why do they do that?”

Bucky laughed. “It’s what you do when you like someone.”

I wrinkled my nose. “But they’re outside! That’s just weird! Anyways, kissing is gross. Couldn’t they get sick from it?”

“Yes. People do get sick from kissing. But they do it because it feels good.” Bucky pulled up to a small pizzeria. “Alright, everyone out.”

I was still thinking about kissing, absentmindedly touching my lips, when we walked into the pizza shop.

“No. You aren’t welcome here,” a deep voice said. I looked up and saw a man behind the counter glaring at Loki.

“He’s with me, it’s fine,” Bucky said, trying to soothe the man.

“I don’t care. He killed people. I want him out.”

Bucky opened his mouth to argue, but Loki grabbed his arm, stopping him. “It’s fine. I’ll go to the car.”

“Do you want Astrid to wait outside with you?”

Loki shook his head. “You’ll need help carrying everything.”

With that, I was left in the pizzeria with Bucky and the angry man. The man stacked up box after box on the counter, all the while glaring at us angrily.

“Why did you let him stay?” the man asked.

“He’s changed,” Bucky snapped.

“I don’t understand,” I said looking between the two. “Loki is kind. Why are people mean to him?”

The man looked at me with confusion. “Loki tried to take over the planet. He killed people and unleashed aliens on New York City. He’s a murderer.”

“Everyone in the Avengers has killed. Do you hate them?” I asked, raising my chin defiantly.

The man looked taken aback. “Well, no. They killed bad guys.”

“Just because they were bad guys doesn’t mean they weren’t people.”

“Why the hell are you lecturing me, kid?” The man looked at Bucky. “What is she? Another one of Stark’s creations? An alien?”

“None of your concern. Here’s your money,” Bucky said, thrusting a wad of cash at him. He scooped up half of the boxes and handed them to me. He turned and picked up the rest before leading the way out of the shop.

“Never going back there,” he grumbled.

We found Loki leaning against the side of the car. As we approached, he came over and took the boxes from me. We stacked them in the backseat next to me before buckling up and hitting the road.

“Did he give you any trouble after I left?” Loki asked cautiously.

“He questioned why we let you stay on Earth. Then Astrid started arguing with him and we left.”

Loki turned in his seat to look at me. “What did you argue with him about?”

“That you were a good person. He said you killed people and tried to take over the planet and that made you bad. I told him everyone in the Avengers has killed so it doesn’t matter what you’ve done.”

Loki shook his head. “You shouldn’t try to defend me. It’ll only paint a target on your back.”


	20. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, hope you're enjoying the story!

*Loki*

Once back at the headquarters, Loki, Astrid, and Bucky carried the pizza boxes inside. As soon as they walked into the living room, they were attacked by hungry Avengers. They all settled back into their spots and watched the action movie that was now playing on the TV.

Astrid peered into a pizza box curiously. Loki picked up a slice and handed it to her.

“It’s good. Try it.”

She took a tentative bite, and then lit up with joy. “It’s delicious!” Astrid ate slice after slice until she had consumed an entire large pizza by herself.

Eventually, the movie got to obligatory sex scene. Loki glanced at Astrid and saw her studying the scene intensely. As the two characters on the screen began to get hot and heavy, Astrid leapt off the couch and sprinted to the kitchen. Everyone jumped in surprise at her sudden movement.

“What’s her problem?” Tony asked, watching her go.

Bucky and Loki stood at the same time to follow her.

“I’ve got it, Loki. Just sit down and relax for a bit,” Bucky said, giving an easy smile.

Loki sunk back down into his seat. He turned his eyes back to the movie, but he wasn’t paying attention. Loki’s mind was elsewhere, worrying about Astrid.

*Bucky*

Bucky found Astrid sitting on the counter top in the kitchen. She played with the tip of her braid while staring down into her lap.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Astrid nodded, but didn’t offer an explanation.

Bucky climbed up on the counter next to her. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“Those people on the TV. They were kissing,” Astrid said in a shaky voice. “And then they were doing something else. I didn’t understand it.”

Bucky laughed. “That was sex.”

“I don’t understand.” Astrid looked at him with her big silver eyes. “Would you tell me?”

Bucky felt a blush creep up his cheeks. He didn’t particularly want to have the birds and the bees talk with her.

*Loki*

The movie was nearly over by the time Bucky and Astrid came back into the room. Both of them looked uncomfortable as they scurried back to their seats. Once the credits began to roll, Astrid got up and announced she was going to go for a run.

“You’ll need to change into some workout clothes,” Steve said, looking at her bunny onesie. “It’ll be hard to run in that.”

Astrid smiled and nodded before making her way to the elevator.

“Wait!” Tony yelled. “I can show you were the gym is. You can use the track there.” He went over and got on the elevator with her. Once the doors had closed, Natasha looked over at Bucky.

“Is she okay?”

With a groan, Bucky let his head fall onto the back of the couch. “I just had to give her The Talk.”

Thor and Loki looked at him confused while all the others nodded in understanding.

“What is The Talk?” Thor asked.

“He had to tell her about sex,” Clint laughed.

Loki’s cheeks burned as images of Astrid having sex assaulted his mind. He willed the thoughts and the blush away quickly, not wanting the others to notice.

Clint continued. “Let me guess, she saw what was going on in the movie and was freaked out by it?”

“Exactly,” Bucky said. “Those scientists told her nothing. It’s ridiculous!”

“How does she not know about sex? I mean, doesn’t she… you know…” Steve trailed off.

“Menstruate? Natasha finished gruffly.

Steve flinched. “Yes, that.”

Bucky shook his head. “No, I asked. My guess is that the scientists didn’t give her a full reproductive system. Probably thought it was a waste of energy.”

Bruce rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “What do you mean full reproductive system? Did they only give her a partial?”

Bucky blushed. “Let’s just say she can have sex but she won’t get pregnant.”

“Most girls would be jealous of her,” Clint said.

“Not all girls,” Natasha said ruefully. “I feel bad for her. She’s been kept in the dark for so long. Who knows what those monsters told her and didn’t tell her. She could be full of false information.”

Bruce nodded. “This is going to be hard on her. She doesn’t understand our society. We all understand that but the public won’t. We need to keep an eye on her when she leaves the base.”

“We’re going to have to keep the boys away from her,” Clint said with a laugh. He leaned forward and flipped one of the pizza boxes and scowled when he saw it was empty. Natasha nudged a half full box towards him. He nodded in thanks.

“What do you mean?” Thor asked, his head cocked to the side.

“Some guys are perverts, something I’m sure you’ve discovered. If they find out she can’t get pregnant and doesn’t understand the culture, they’ll take advantage of her.” Clint paused to take a bit of pizza. “Astrid has no idea how relationships work and the creepy little punks will love it.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Natasha scolded. Clint rolled his eyes at her.

“She may not date someone from the general public though. She’s far older than she looks and will live for a long, long time; like Bucky and I,” Steve said.

“Having a relationship with a mortal would be difficult for her. I know it is difficult for me…” Thor said, his voice trailing off. Loki felt a lump in his throat at his brother’s words. He reached out and touched Thor’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Thor turned and gave Loki a sad smile.

“Hey, you and Loki could always take Astrid to Asgard. She’d probably find a boyfriend there,” Clint laughed. “And he wouldn’t be fragile like us lowly mortals.”

Loki felt a growl try to work its way between his teeth, but he swallowed it back down. He didn’t like the idea of Astrid having a relationship with someone, especially not an Asgardian man. Loki still didn’t fully trust them.

The elevator doors opened and Tony stepped out. “Damn, that kid is skinny. She looks like she a stiff wind could blow her away.”

“Nah, she’s tougher than that,” Bucky said.

Loki was started to feel anxious. He had trouble with crowds, but Astrid seemed to make them bearable. Without her by his side, Loki felt nervous. He stood, a little faster than he intended, causing everyone to look at him. Some had surprised looks on their faces, others had suspicious ones.

“Well, it was nice spending time with you all, but I think I’m going to go read for a bit,” he said.

Bucky waved as Loki left the room.


	21. An Illusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm horrible oh gosh I'm so sorry for all of the delays. Just started a new job and my school work is killer. I hope you enjoy this chapter, especially the end ;)

*Loki*

Loki was sprawled across his bed, his book lying open on his chest. He had only gotten a few pages in when he became too distracted to go on. All Loki could think about was Astrid. Her smile, her laugh, the warmth of her skin; everything about her.

Cursing himself, he got up and made his way downstairs to the gym to see Astrid. Loki did his best to avoid the other Avengers, not wanting them to know what he was doing. It wasn’t that he was banned from the gym or from seeing Astrid, he just knew Bucky would ridicule him. Loki was aware that the soldier had figured out Loki’s feelings towards Astrid.

Loki decided as he walked that if he was discovered, he would just ignore the taunts. He needed to be near Astrid. It felt like if he didn’t, he’d explode. He hoped that by seeing her, his mind would calm. When he stepped in, he couldn’t find her anywhere. Loki scanned the room with his green eyes, confused. The gym looked empty.

Suddenly, Astrid appeared in front of him, grinning widely.

Loki jumped, startled. “How did you…”

“I was running at my top speeds. You probably can’t see me when I go that fast.”

He shook his head. “No I couldn’t.”

She pushed a few strands of hair out of her face, slicking it back with sweat. “So, I was wondering. How do you make things appear and disappear?”

“They’re illusions. I use magic to create their image,” Loki explained, creating a double of himself. Astrid reached out to touch the double, but her hand sunk right through its chest. A golden shimmer danced around the points of contact between her hand and the double.

“It’s energy,” she whispered, amazed.

Loki thought for a moment. “Yes, I suppose it is. Magic is just another form of energy.”

The double disappeared as Astrid pulled her hand away. “Can you teach me?”

“What?” Loki asked, confused.

Astrid made green sparks appear in her hand. “I can use energy to make barriers. Those are almost like an illusion, but solid. All I’m doing is arranging energy into a shape. With your help, I might be able to create illusions, just like you.”

Smile broke across Loki’s face. Not only was this a chance for him to teach, something he loved to do, it was a chance to be closer to Astrid.

“Let’s start with trying to create sparks of different colors. Your illusions won’t fool anyone if they are entirely green.”

*Astrid*

“Come on! Focus!” Loki hissed.

Scrunching my eyes shut, I poured more energy into the ball I had formed. So far, I hadn’t been able to make anything change color, not even a spark.

“Don’t put energy into it, Astrid,” Loki said soothingly. “Change the energy. Just like when you create a fire. You are taking energy and changing it.”

I relaxed, allowing my shoulders to slump. I imagined the ball in my mind and saw it as green. I imagined paint being dribbled onto it, slowly coating it in gold. As the gold paint in my mind completely covered the ball, I heard a sharp intake of breath at my side. I opened my eyes and saw that the ball of energy in my hand had turned gold, just as it had in my mind.

I gave a squeal of delight and bounced up and down. “Loki! Look! I did it! I changed the color!”

Loki gave a whoop of joy. His long arms looped around my waist and he lifted me into the air, spinning the two of us in circles. “I knew you could do it!”

He stopped and I slid down his body to the ground. I beamed up at him, but noticed an odd look in his eyes. Loki cleared his throat and took a step back.

“Keep practicing that. Once you’re able to produce a wide range of colors, we’ll start on creating things that have multiple colors.”

With that, Loki stalked away. I watched him go, worried.

“ _Did I do something wrong?_ ” I wondered as I went after him.

I had to jog to keep up with his long strides. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

My brow furrowed. “You don’t seem like it. Just tell me what’s wrong.”

Loki stopped and took a deep breath. He turned and began walking towards me, causing me to back up. My back collided with a wall making me gasp in surprise. Loki put a hand beside my ear and hung his head.

“Astrid…”

*Loki*

“You don’t seem like it. Just tell me what’s wrong,” Astrid said in a cross voice.

He stopped. Loki could feel the words coming up, though he didn’t want them to. He took a shaky breath before walking towards her. Astrid backed into a wall as Loki tried to collect his thoughts. He placed a hand by her head as his drooped.

“Astrid… I know I shouldn’t say this; I don’t want to scare you. I can’t bring myself to lie to you either, so I don’t have any option here besides the truth. I care for you. Deeply. Not only do I desire you on an emotional and mental level, but also on a physical one. In the gym, we stood so close… and I felt something I shouldn’t have. I felt hope that one day, you could come to care about me in the same way I care for you. Now, I realize that you will no longer wish to be near me, but I would still like to teach you and – “

Hot finger tips pressed against his chin, tilting his head up.

“Loki, I care for you. You don’t need to be scared,” Astrid said in a hushed voice. Her eyes met his and Loki could see in the depths of those silver pools that she was being honest. His heart soared. It was a feeling he hadn’t felt for a long time.

Loki leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He felt a spark when they touched, but he wasn’t sure if it was just her powers, or if it was something more. When Loki pulled back, he searched her expression for any sign that what he had done was okay.

Astrid had a pensive look on her face. “Now I understand what Bucky was talking about. Kissing does feel good.”

And with that, she stood on her toes and kissed Loki again.


	22. AUTHOR'S NOTE

I am so sorry that I stopped writing for so long. Things it my life got a bit crazy. I was taking roughly 12 credit hours at college, had to have another surgery, and was a care taker for multiple family members all while dealing with my own health problems. I had to take a step back from fandom related things and buckle down for a while. But the other day, I was going through my computer and saw the file where I was writing this story and I decided I wanted to get back into it. I love these characters and really want to explore the relationships between them all. I'll try to post as often as I can, but with work and an upcoming co op, I won't be able to post every day. I hope you all understand.

Let me know if you think I should continue this or if I should let it die off. Thank you!


	23. I Don't Need A Gun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's a chapter to make it up to everyone. Sorry again!

*Bucky*

After finishing the protein shake he had been drinking, Bucky whipped up another to take to Astrid. She had been working out for hours and he figured she’d need something to help build her energy back up.

Bucky went to the gym and was surprised to find Loki there as well. The tall man was spotting Astrid on the bench press. Bucky noticed that Loki had changed into some loose track pants and a tank top so as to be comfortable will working out. Bucky wondered if he was aware that Astrid couldn’t keep her eyes off him when he wore clothes that showed off his muscles. Bucky guessed Loki didn’t know; the guy was oblivious.

Both Loki and Astrid were drenched in sweat, slicking their hair down to their heads. Their clothes clung to their bodies, outlined the hard planes of their skinny bodies. Astrid was so thin, Bucky was reminded of Steve when they were kids. Loki, on the other hand, was thin but not dangerously so. He looked sleek, like a cat. Both Loki’s and Astrid’s cheeks were flushed and smiles were plastered on their faces.

“Come on! One more!” Loki encouraged, his hands out and ready to catch the bar if Astrid let it slip.

With a snarl, Astrid pushed the bar up and into its stands. Huffing, she sat up and stretched her arms. “You’re turn,” she told Loki.

“If I had known you had joined her, Loki, I would have brought you a shake too,” Bucky said, startling the two. “What are you benching, Astrid?”

“350 pounds. I used to lift more but I think I lost some muscle. Scientists thought I was getting too strong and I wasn’t allowed to work out anymore.”

Bucky nodded. “That’s a good weight, especially for your size.” He set the glass down. “Loki, do you want me to spot you? I know you lift more than 350. It wouldn’t be safe for Astrid to spot for you.”

Loki nodded. “Thanks Bucky.”

By the end of his set, Loki was red in the face. They all decided to head back to the kitchen for a snack. While they ate, Bucky told stories about America before World War II. Astrid was especially enthralled with these tales. Bucky noticed how she sat on the edge of her seat, listening intently.

As Bucky was getting to the climax of a story involving him, Steve, a sausage truck, and a rowdy dog, alarms started to ring.

“What is that?” Astrid asked, looking around with fear.

“Something bad has happened. Come on!” Bucky said, jumping from his seat and leading Loki and Astrid to the situation room, where a video was playing on a large screen. Men were getting out of cars and shooting at guards outside of a mental health facility.

“Damn it, not these guys again,” Steve said, entering the room along with Sam. Sam gave Astrid a quick smile before looking at the screen.

Bucky recognized the logo on the side of the cars as that of a new cult that had recently sprung up. “Is that where there leader is being held?”

“Yep,” Tony said, popping the final letter. “Let’s go round up the last of them.”

“Can I come?” Astrid asked, hopefully.

Tony shrugged. “Sure kid. Go get your suit.”

She gave a little squeal and zipped away so fast, that Bucky couldn’t even see her. It was like she had disappeared. She reappeared within a heartbeat. Her braid was a little messy and she was visibly out of breath, but Astrid was ready to go. A glimmer shined around Loki and his armor materialized.

“We will meet you at the jet,” Loki said before opening and holding the door for Astrid.

“Well, I feel slow now,” Sam said, obviously trying to lighten the mood. “Those two are ready to go in a snap!”

*Astrid*

“This is so cool!” I crowed, running around the jet, looking at everything. “What does this button do?”

Loki shrugged. “I have no idea. I wouldn’t press it, if I were you, though.”

I jumped into one of the seats and bounced excitedly. “I’ve never flown before. Is it scary?”

“You technically have flown before,” Loki said, smiling at me. He sat next to me and began to strap himself in. “You were unconscious though.”

“Then it doesn’t count,” I said. I tried to buckle myself into the seat, but I didn’t know how. There were so many straps and fasteners. Loki reached over and helped put my arms through the straps and buckle everything together. I smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

“Promise not to get yourself killed, alright?”

I nodded. “I’ll do my best as long as you do too.”

“Deal.”

The rest of the Avengers filed in, getting into their seats and checking their weapons. Bucky plopped into the seat next to me and held out a gun. “I want you to have this.”

“I don’t need a gun though.”

Bucky glared. “Your energy is probably running low. I want you to be safe. Anyways, everyone needs a gun. No else seems to think that though,” Bucky grumbled looking at the others.

“Hey, Natasha,” I said, looking at the red head. “Is that a shock baton?”

She nodded and tossed it over to me. I placed the tip against my hand and zapped myself a few times before giving it back. I turned to Bucky, smirking. “Now I don’t need a gun.”

Bucky crossed his arms. “When you make that face, you look like Loki.”

“Astrid, take the gun,” Loki insisted. “If you run out of energy and no one else is nearby, you’ll need something to protect yourself.”

I glared at Loki, but he only glared back. We tried to stare each other down, but I broke first.

“Fine! I’ll take the gun!”

Bucky got me a thigh holster that while it was a little big, would work for today. Lastly, Steve furnished me with an ear bud and a mic, so I could communicate with the rest of the team.

“Try not to get hurt,” he said before patting me on the shoulder and making his way to the cockpit.

When we landed at the facility, the men turned the guns on the jet.

Tony, whom had flown in his suit instead of in the jet, swooped down and fired upon them. The men scrambled to take cover. We rushed out of the jet, weapons drawn.

Steve pointed at Clint and Natasha. “You two. Get inside and stop them from releasing anyone.”

Shots began to ring out again. I ducked and looked around for the shooter. I found a sniper on a roof across the road. Moving at my tops speeds, I scaled the building. I nearly slipped a few times, but managed to grasp the smallest of crevices in between the bricks.

The man on the roof jumped and dropped his gun when I stopped next to him. He pulled a knife and swung it at my throat. Dodging beneath his arm, I lunged forward and slammed into his face with an open palmed strike. He stumbled backwards, grabbing at his now broken nose.

“Little bitch,” he snarled.

With a growl, I shot a stream of flame at him. It caught him directly in the chest, sending him sprawling. His head hit the ground with a resounding crack and he stopped moving. A puddle of blood began to spread from him.

I felt sick to my stomach. Shaking, I slung his rifle across my back and climbed down to rejoin my friends in the fight.


	24. Bomb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took so long. I have family back in the hospital so I've been busy. I know the chapter is short but I really like this one :) enjoy!

*Loki*

Gun shots rang out as Loki ducked behind a van. Snarling, he reached around the front of the car and shot a bolt of energy from his spear directly at the man.

He heard a thump against the car. Loki turned and saw Bucky crouching beside him, his back pressed to the van’s sliding door.

“Have you seen Astrid?” Bucky asked, reloading his gun.

“No,” Loki growled. “She ran off.”

A tinkling noise caught his attention. He glanced down and saw a metal ball skipping across the asphalt from under the van. A light on it was flashing increasingly faster.

“ _Bomb,_ ” Loki realized.

 He jumped up, grabbing Bucky by the arm, and ran. Bucky stumbled along behind him for a moment before collecting himself. The van was consumed by a ball of fire as the bomb exploded. The force of the blast sent Loki and Bucky flying. Bucky hit the ground first, skidding to a stop. Loki landed just next to him. Loki lunged over and used his own body to shield Bucky from the shrapnel that rained down upon them.

The click of a gun being cocked caused both men to look up. Slowly, Loki shifted off of Bucky, keeping his eyes fixed on the what was in front of him. Both men stared down the barrels of a set of handguns. The owner of the weapons smiled down at them.

“Goodbye, boys,” he said.

A gun fired, but it wasn’t the man’s. His eyes were wide with surprise as he fell to the ground, revealing Astrid holding a large sniper rifle. Her eyes seemed to glow as she stepped forward, still aiming the gun at the man.  She fired once more, sending a bullet through his skull. As soon as she knew he was dead, Astrid swung the gun to her back and dropped next to her friends.

“Are you hurt?” she asked sternly.

“No, are you?” Loki asked, pushing himself into a kneeling position.

“Where did you get that gun?!” Bucky exclaimed scrambling forward to look at the rifle.

Astrid gave him a sheepish look. “I got it from the sniper.”

Bucky glowered. “You went after the sniper by yourself? What if there had been other’s waiting up there with him?” Sighing, he pushed his hair from his face. “Why am I always friends with the reckless ones.”

“Get somewhere safe,” Loki instructed Astrid. “Stay hidden.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” Astrid gave him a smirk and then disappeared.

Loki knew she had only run off, but it was like she had vanished into thin air. In a way, it made him nervous, but it also comforted him that she could easily escape from danger.

Grimacing, Loki threw himself back into the battle. The fight didn’t last long. The Avengers were able to handle the situation with only few minor hiccups. Back on the jet, Astrid was moving from person to person, healing any injuries they had sustained.

Loki noticed that by the time she had sat back down next to him, she was looking tired. He reached out and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. The tension left Astrid’s body and she slumped lower in her seat. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, breathing deeply. It took Loki a moment to realize she was dozing off.

He sat as still as he could, not wanting to wake her. If one of the Avengers asked him a question, he refused to answer, knowing the rumble of his voice was startle Astrid. Bucky was giving Loki a side eye, a small smile on his face. Loki retaliated with a glare.

Back at the headquarters, Loki gingerly helped Astrid sit up straight. She groaned in protest, her eyes still closed. Loki picked up her new-found rifle and hung it from his shoulder before scooping Astrid into his arms.

He marched past the others, ignoring their comments and questioning looks, and took Astrid straight to his bedroom. Gently, he laid her on the bed, not bothering to take her shoes off. Gently, he laid a blanket over her. Loki propped her rifle against the night stand, opened the curtains to allow some light in, and left the room. As he walked down the hall, a golden glow incased him. Once the glow dissipated, his armor was gone and he was in soft, casual clothes.

Loki dropped onto the couch and allowed his head to fall onto the back of the couch. The next person to enter the living area was Tony, who proceeded to drape himself across the other couch, leaving no room for anyone else.

“What’s going on with you and the green bean?”

Loki raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Excuse me?”

Tony didn’t even look at the Asgardian. “You and Astrid are really close. Was just wondering what the deal was.”

“I do not believe it is any of your business, Stark.”

Before Tony could say anything else, Bucky and Steve came into the room. Lightly, Bucky shoved at the back of Loki’s head. “Hey, thanks for saving me out there, bud.”

Loki smiled up at Bucky. “You’d do the same for me, my friend.”

Tony’s head shot up and he looked at Loki in shock. Loki was surprised by his words as well, not remembering when he began thinking of the metal armed man as his friend. But Bucky just beamed at him, making the surprise melt into happiness.

“ _I have a friend._ ”


	25. I'm Sorry

Hey everyone

It's been a long time since I posted. I always wanted to finish this story, but I won't be able to. This year has been the worst of my life.

My dog passed, as has my grandmother. I was holding her hand as she passed and I still miss her everyday. My health has been iffy and recently, my parents announced they are getting divorced. My father and I aren't currently speaking. To top it off, my long term significant other and I have gone our separate ways. My time has been taken up with work and helping raise my brother and I just can't continue this story. It has too many reminders of my past tied to it. For my own mental health's sake, I'm ending this story here. I'm working on another that is working as a distraction. Keep your eyes open for it and I just want to say I'm sorry. 

Love you all

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment and tell me what you think!


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